Presented by Gwyneth Pearce
60-Minute Presentation (Intermediate)
People living in poverty face marginalization and discrimination, and have a greater risk of health issues and legal problems, despite our modern “social safety net”. Single people, sole-support mothers and their children, recent immigrants, and people with disabilities are more likely to experience poverty than others. The demographics of poverty were similar, and the consequences were even more profound, for our Ontario ancestors in the 19th and early 20th centuries, before the introduction of government social programs. The last resort for many was the local House of Industry or Refuge. This presentation will start with a brief review of the history of social assistance in Ontario and the early institutions that were established to provide relief to the poor, and identify records that can help to research individuals who passed through their doors. Selected case examples will illustrate the devastating impacts of poverty and the social stigma faced by the poor. The focus will be on materials from the mid-to-late 1800s that are freely available to the public online.
