Marissa

“It helped me a lot. I was able to buy a car, catch up on bills, and get some stuff for my kids… I’m happy that I worked with SEED or else I wouldn’t have anything.”

In November 2019, Marissa came to SEED’s Access to Benefits Program (A to B) drop-in, hoping to file her 2018 tax return. During her appointment, one of SEED’s staff members identified a number of benefits that Marissa and her family were entitled to but not receiving. Most importantly, Marissa had not received the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for her two children for over two years.

SEED staff worked with her to navigate Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) processes, which resulted in Marissa saving a lot of time and energy in navigating unfamiliar processes on her own, and potentially risking losing access to benefits by not having all the requisite paperwork. Over several months, Marissa and SEED staff worked together to access these benefits. Marissa was approved for benefits she hadn’t been previously receiving, and she now expects to receive benefits backdated to the time of application. The biggest impact on Marissa so far has been successfully navigating CRA processes and receiving retroactive Canada Child Benefit payments.

Marissa is now looking to the future: contributing to a long-term savings plan so she has some extra financial support in the future.

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Michelle

“I am very thankful SEED has touched my life. They have paved the path for future generations of my family.”

After explaining the situation to her employment coach, Michelle was referred to SEED. She felt understood and supported by the staff in SEED’s Recognition Counts program.

Eadha

Eadha, meaning endurance, is a sourdough bakery worker co-operative in Winnipeg’s West End. Eadha operates under a queer, anti-racist, and de-colonial mandate, and strives to provide staff with a living wage and benefits. Originally launched as a sole proprietorship in 2016, Eadha began working with SEED in 2021 to transition into a worker co-operative and officially re-launched as Eadha Bakery Co-op in 2023 with six worker-owners.

Lindiwe

“I was on EIA [Employment and Income Assistance] while I was going to school from 2015-2018. I took graphic design in school so I wanted to invest in a computer but on EIA you have such a small amount to spend so you can’t really spend anything extra.”

Lindiwe moved back to Winnipeg with her daughters to start fresh and was looking for resources to help her get started. After completing the Saving Circle program, she joined the Individual Development Account (IDA) program in 2019.