Ontario’s Non-profits Are Still Struggling To Survive The Pandemic
Why It Matters
Ontario’s non-profits are needed more than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic’s health implications give way to a looming economic depression and acute mental health issues. Yet many are in dire financial straits. The provincial and federal governments have offered business relief, but a new report says it isn’t enough to sustain the sector.
Months after the COVID-19 pandemic brought Ontario’s non-profit sector to a screeching halt, many organizations say they’re struggling to keep the lights on – and believe government support for the sector has been sorely lacking.
According to a joint report from the Ontario Nonprofit Network and the Assemblée de la Francophonie de l’Ontario (AFO), a third of all non-profits have laid off staff. A fifth say they could close within the next six months. Even as COVID-19 case numbers remain far lower than they were in late spring, the looming economic hangover of public health restrictions, along with a corresponding increase in mental illness and domestic violence rates, have triggered a greater need for social services and health nonprofits.
Except many of these organizations are under tremendous financial strain themselves. “ONN and AFO continue to be concerne
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