New social policy concepts introduced to Canada and SEDI's achievement.

Self Employment

•  SEDI first introduced the concept of self-employment training for low-income people to Canada.   Our expertise in this area has been recognized by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

•  SEDI and its partners created Canada's first and largest urban Self-Employment Benefits (SEB) Program.   SEDI's SEB Program in the city of Toronto lasted for 12 years, assisted over 7,800 clients, and helped 91% of these clients start their own business.

•  Through our self-employment initiatives, over $172 million and 2,500 new jobs have been generated for the economy, with less than 1% of our clients falling back on government assistance

Youth Work

•  Our Youth strategies are based on 9 years worth of experience from 8,000 young people, 600 community organizations, 50 communities, and 12 provinces and territories.

•  SEDI designed and delivered a financial awareness toolkit, the Youth Series, to 8,500 young people across Canada.   The four Youth Series programs include: Generation E - helping young people discover entrepreneurial potential; The Changing World of Work – a look at local work trends and opportunities; Dollars and Sense – the basics of financial management; and, the E-Factor – exploring relationships between youth and employees.

•  We are among the first in the non-profit sector to use cutting-edge technology and audiovisual programs to our users through programs such as E-Thinker and Business Development Made Easy

Asset Buliding

•  SEDI first introduced the concept of asset-building training for low-income people to Canada and subsequently developed and managed the world's largest policy demonstration of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs).

•  In 2002, SEDI co-sponsored the first-ever International Individual Development Account Learning Conference in Windsor, Ontario.

•  Thanks to the efforts of SEDI and our partners, five provinces have now amended their regulations on social assistance to exempt savings in asset-building programs form provincial welfare asset tests.   Now Canadians living on social assistance in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia will no longer see their social assistance benefits hampered on because they saved in hopes of leaving social assistance.  

•  In 2004 SEDI launched the Independent Living Account (ILA) project and provided matched savings and financial capability training to assist over 57 people to save and transition to affordable housing.   The project showed that by investing in the self-sufficiency of those living in transitional housing, there could be remarkable results.  

Financial Capability

•  In June 2005, SEDI co-hosted the first-ever national conference on financial capability.   The event presented financial capability policy, research, and practice in Canada, the US, and the UK to a diverse audience of stakeholders.

•  SEDI has published two research papers on financial capability from a Canadian context.   The first paper, Financial Capability and Poverty, published in 2004, reviews available research to address financial literacy as a complementary strategy to asset building.   The second paper, Why Financial Capability Matters, published in 2005, provides evidence that financial capability has a positive impact on Canadians in the areas of social inclusion, increased economic efficiency, and increased government program effectiveness.

Research and Policy Development

•  SEDI advocated for children's savings accounts and for more progressive, asset-based, incentives for low-income families with children.  We worked closely with the federal government and informed improvements for the Canada Education Savings Grant.  SEDI also contributed to the design of the Canada Learning Bond, which is expected to save up to $2,000 per capita for approximately 2.2 million children each year.

•  19 countries around the world are actively pursuing the kind of asset based social policies that SEDI advocates.  The countries are: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Singapore, China, South Africa, Uganda, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Ireland, Hungary, and France.  

•  Federal and provincial governments have called on SEDI as expert witnesses to testify before Senate, the House of Commons, and provincial Legislative Committees.

•  SEDI is one of the original architects of the national Self Employment Benefit   that offers income support and training to thousands of entrepreneurs across Canada each year through the Employment Insurance system.  We are one of the earliest organizations in Canada to promote self-employment as a viable option to enable more low-income Canadians, including those receiving income assistance, to gain and maintain their economic self-sufficiency.

•  SEDI has shared its successful domestic policy ideas and practices with partners in Russia and is poised to do so in other countries.