Study blames government for homelessness

[ckramer]

A new study of homeless people blames changes to federal and Ontario government support programs for forcing sick workers into living on the streets.

Street Health, a Toronto-based nursing clinic that provides direct care to the homeless, says many had jobs and a place to live before they fell ill.

But the activists say changes to the federal Employment Insurance program in 1996 made it much harder for workers to qualify for short-term sick benefits.

A year later, Ontario changed its long-term disability support program, which now takes up to nine months to approve an application, half of which are turned down on first try.

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[tk2kewl]

1. I was expecting a U.S. report that said welfare programs

cause homelessness because people don't learn to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.