Click here to download the application

Purpose:

The OCADFA community support fund addresses situations where OCADFA members are experiencing a significant life event that places them in a position of economic, food, or housing insecurity.

While OCADFA recognizes that this is not a long-term solution to the endemic and long-term poverty experienced by some of our members, it will provide material assistance which we hope will alleviate the most catastrophic consequences this poverty entails.

Financial Resourcing and Dispersal Dates:

Beginning on 1 January 2022 OCADFA will make $833.33 available to this fund on the first of each month until June 1 2022, representing a total of $5,000 to be dispersed. Beginning on July 1 (the beginning of the fiscal year) $833.33 will be made available until June 1 of the following year, for a total of $10,000 to be dispersed each fiscal year.

Any remaining funds available at the end of each month will be rolled over into the following month’s funds. If the funds for a month have been exhausted before the month is over, the form for applications will close, and will reopen on the 1st of the following month. In that event, the OCADFA website will indicate to you that the funds for the current month have been exhausted.

• If you find that the application form is not available when you try to access it, you can try again on the 1st of the following month.
• This is so that you do not go through the process of applying only to learn that your application is not approved due to scarcity of funds.

Application and Decision-Making Procedure:

Applications for the fund will be received by the OCADFA Executive Director. The Executive Director will inform the applicant by the end of the next working day that their application has been received. They will then redact all identifying information from an application before forwarding it to the Committee.

The Committee will vet each application to ensure that they correspond with the purpose of the OCADFA Community Support Fund. Approval requires a majority vote of committee members. The Chair of the Committee will inform the Executive Director if the application has been approved or denied within 5 working days of receiving the application, who shall then notify the applicant as soon as practical.

Once the Executive Director has received approval of the request from the Committee, the Executive Director will request the OCADFA Secretary/Treasurer to dispense the funds to the member via e-transfer by the end of the next business day.

Occasionally this process may take more than ten days after receiving your request (for instance, if you apply the day before a long weekend). However, it will be OCADFA’s goal to respond materially to your request within 10 working days of receiving it.

Eligibility:

OCADFA members who are in financial need can apply to this fund, and if their request fits within the fund’s mandate, can receive up to $250 of financial assistance within 10 days of applying for it.

Examples of such situations where the fund may be accessed by OCADFA members:

• Dental and vision care costs for members or their dependents who do not have access to a health care plan
• Unanticipated medication costs for members or their dependents who do not have access to a health care plan
• Unexpected vehicle maintenance costs
• Equipment repair costs (for laptops etc.)
• Extraordinary, temporary caregiving expenses
• Fees associated with counselling support required on an emergency basis for members who have experienced assault or other forms of violence, including gender-based violence
• Income gap associated with the time difference between prepping course and its first pay period which may result in the possibility of housing insecurity

Any OCADFA member can access this resource twice per calendar year, with priority given to first time applicants for that year.

If you are an OCADFA member experiencing a situation that will result in economic, food or housing insecurity, please feel encouraged to apply to this fund.

Your application will be confidential, so that your dignity and right to privacy are upheld.

You can apply made through a secure form which can be accessed through the OCADFA website.

You will be asked to give a description of the need that your request is arising from, and to specify the amount (up to $250) that you are requesting.

We ask that you provide OCADFA with receipts associated with your application within 30 days of receiving your funds. This is very important as it will allow us to remain accountable to the membership as a whole. It will also help the Board and Negotiations Committee better understand the lived experience of our membership.

Click here to view the OCADFA Community Support Fund Terms of Reference in their entirety

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