Ont. woman shares challenges of living on disability benefits

A Kitchener, Ont. woman shares just how hard living on disability benefits is and her hope that more can be done to help others in similar situations.

Amanda Kroetsch used to live well in British Columbia, but had to get away from a domestic abuse situation that left her with a brain injury about five years ago.

She returned home to Kitchener and was staying with family members until she qualified for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit.

Kroetsch eventually moved into a shared accommodation and then an attic space, but due to her injuries, she never felt like she could relax in the environment.

“I was waiting in line for the bathroom because I was sharing with so many people. I had to carry my dishes up and down if I used them. Just the logistics weren't actually working for my well-being,” Kroetsch said.

Because of her needs from her injury she decided an independent one bedroom living situation would be best.

She was on the affordable housing list, but got off it because she could have ended up in a home that potentially didn’t work with her brain injury.

She began searching for a unit, but quickly ran into more challenges.

"There were times where we were kind of shunned or even just ignored or given a bit of a B.S. excuse of why we weren't getting approved," Connor Arnold, Real Estate Sales Representative for Kroetsch said. "So it was a lot more difficult than I had expected.”

Eventually, thanks to Arnold’s help, Kroetsch landed an apartment in Kitchener.

"I ended up having to have a co-signer and a guarantor on my lease, as well as someone who was willing to pay for the first three months upfront," Kroetsch said.

"It's my first independent living in almost five years. If you knew me, I used to travel the world. I lived in Japan when I was 19. I've got more stamps on my passport than you can imagine. So to be at this point where I'm feeling somewhat independent again is amazing," Kroetsch said. "I finally feel like I'm in an environment that matches the life that I'm trying to create for myself."

Throughout all of this, up until two months ago Kroetsch had no income, relying purely on benefits.

She receives $1,151.10 a month from ODSP and $944 through the housing benefit. She now has a working income of $1,169.04 from her job. After paying her rent, which costs $2,050 per month, and other fixed expenses, she is left with $789 for the rest of the month.

"It's been really hard for me to try to work within the crazy budget that I have for housing and also try to find an environment that actually works for me and is helping to add to my healing journey," Kroetsch said.

One issue is the percentage she gets for housing. Canada Ontario Housing Benefit pays a portion of the average market rent. For Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation puts average rent for a one bedroom apartment at $1,346.

“The average rents reported represent a weighted average of rents currently being paid by tenants occupying a unit, as well as the asking rents for unoccupied units,” CMHC said in an email.

"I have not seen a single one bed for under $1,700," Arnold said.

Kroetsch reached out to both Kitchener Centre Member of Parliament Mike Morrice and Kitchener Centre Member of Provincial Parliament Aislinn Clancy about the situation.

Morrice said more funding needs to be available for people on disability benefits.

"40 per cent of people in poverty across the country are folks with disabilities. It's a big reason why I've been advocating for the Canada Disability Benefit," Morrice said.

According to Employment and Social Development Canada, it is planning to start paying a disability benefit in July 2025.

“The Government of Canada has engaged and will continue to engage with persons with disabilities on the Canada Disability Benefit and on the development of its first regulations,” ESDC said in an email.

On the provincial side, Clancy said more funding needs to be given to ODSP.

“Our caucus has continually called on the Ford government to raise social assistance rates above the poverty line to address this disparity,” Clancy said in an email.

Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services told CTV News ODSP rates will increase by 4.5 per cent next month.

“We are committed to improving social assistance delivery throughout Ontario to better help those in financial need or who have a disability,” MCCSS said in an email.

“All future increases for ODSP are now tied to inflation, with adjustments happening each year at the end of July,” MCCSS said.

As for rent, the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said it understands residents are finding it challenging to find a place at a price they can afford.

“That’s why we’ve held the 2024 rent increase guideline at 2.5 percent, the lowest in the country and well below the average inflation rate of 5.9 percent,” MMAH said.

While her finances are still a challenge, Kroetsch is just happy to be on her own. She encourages anyone else in her situation to keep pushing for themselves

"Self-advocacy is so important. It's so hard as a survivor to fight for yourself because often we got in trouble and hurt for standing up for ourselves. That help comes in the form that you least expect it," Kroetsch said. "Just never settle. Just because you're on disability, just because you're injured, just because you're dealing with a hard time, maybe you're not working – [it] doesn't mean that you're not an extremely valuable, important human being and sometimes you have to be the first person to treat you that way."