Family Services Windsor-Essex (FSWE) has received a $700,000 investment from Prosper Canada to expand financial support programs as more residents struggle with the rising cost of living and economic uncertainty.
Multi-Year Funding for Financial Empowerment
The multi-year funding will support free financial empowerment services in Windsor-Essex, including tax filing assistance, benefits access support, financial coaching, and financial education. The funding is delivered through Prosper Canada’s Resilient Futures initiative and funded by the Government of Canada through Employment and Social Development Canada.
Community Response
“Folks are feeling the crunch,” said FSWE executive director Ciara Holmes during a media event on Monday at the organization’s local office. “We see rising costs across food, across gas, even affordable housing is a struggle. So, people are trying to find any way that they can to just keep their head above water.”
Holmes noted that the funding will allow the organization to provide short-term case management support for those experiencing financial stress who may not qualify for other existing programs. “We’ve been able to leverage additional staffing resources so that they can support those calls that are coming in for people who don’t typically fit within our other funding programs,” she said.
Unclaimed Benefits
The program will also help residents access government benefits and tax credits that often go unclaimed. “I would say that probably there’s hundreds of thousands of dollars being left on the table that people are not accessing,” said Holmes. “Either the system is a little bit too complicated for them, or they’re not filing their taxes and they don’t understand or appreciate that they are eligible for those additional income benefits or tax credits.”
National Perspective
Prosper Canada vice-president of strategy and development Adam Fair said the national charity sees this issue nationwide. “Our best estimates are that $2 billion gets left on the table every year because people are having trouble filing their taxes,” he said. “For individuals, it’s really important. That’s the best way to be able to get access to your benefits. But even if you file, there’s still other benefits that people don’t know about, so we’re working to make sure that we’re connecting everyone to those benefits, because they’re needed now, more than ever.”
Fair added that some people who file years of overdue taxes discover they are eligible for tens of thousands of dollars in retroactive benefits. “Some people file 10 years back and they can see $20,000,” he said.
