Thursday, July 8, 2010
Divorce- the final frontier
I had to say goodbye to the man I loved for so long. When I see the person today that others see, I see all the memories - our jokes, our laughter, our long drives we took together, Sunday mornings on the couch getting a footrub and watching spaghetti westerns, the "basic cuddle" position, the trust we had, our best friendship, his excitement when Eliza was born). When I closed the door on the person of today, I also had to say goodbye to the man who I had loved for so long, since 1974, 36 years of my 50 years here on earth. It was not as easy as it might have seemed from to anyone looking in from the outside, to anyone listening to his long list of accusations and complaints and insults against me. I have to wonder if he is sad too, deep down where he might not really feel it unless he reaches to that far away place, when he thinks of that young man, of the love I think he felt for me then, and of all he has missed in his childrens' lives.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Myths about Homelessness
Homeless Action Week, October 12th to October 19th, is intended to highlight the homelessness situation in our province. There are vigils planned across B.C. Some groups are fasting, some are holding political rallies, others are having resource fairs, and agencies that can are increasing their food and clothing distributions. I applaud all of these initiatives. But, I don’t think we need a special week to bring homelessness to the attention of anyone, it is pretty obvious that there are too many people who do not have homes. There is just cause, however, to educate the public and our leaders as to the reasons behind homelessness in our communities. We need this week to focus on breaking some of the myths that prevent community members and leaders from really caring about this issue, and making the problem of homelessness a priority to solve rather than just another cause of the day. There are a lot of myths out there about homeless people. Here are seven, one to represent every day of Homeless Action Week.
Myth number one; People choose to be homeless. I hear this opinion frequently, and sadly, from politicians, those who have the power and mandate to make a difference. To say someone chooses to sleep outside and experience all the indignities that go with that type of existence, to suggest that those who couch surf prefer this type of transient lifestyle, to determine that those who put up with beatings and abuse in exchange for shelter must not mind it or they would leave, shows that we are nowhere near solving the issue when we still do not understand why it exists and worse, we blame the homeless for their plight. It is always easier to blame the victim when that victim is bothering you for a handout, when that victim smells and looks bad, when that victim has loud arguments with imaginary companions, when that victim goes back to the abuse but continues to ask for assistance, when the victim continually uses the resources of cash and manpower strapped social service agencies but does not improve his or her living situation. It is easy to blame the victim when they cannot get or hold down a job, cannot find an apartment like the rest of us seem to be able to, when the victim cannot stay clean and sober. Many people look down their noses and say they choose to do that. They choose to have mental illness, learning disabilities, childhood trauma, childhood poverty, broken homes, health problems, sudden job loss, or for their rent go up beyond what their income is. I hope my sarcasm is well noted. These are not choices people make. For those who are so damaged by trauma, mental health and addiction issues, for those taken out of institutions with no proper supports, for those who have made bad or stupid choices, we must remember that they were not capable of making informed choices in the first place. It is like blaming a two year old for touching a hot stove. Addicts do not choose to become addicts. Often the drugs are the only safe place they have from their long history of personal pain, some of which is so horrofic we cannot even begin to comprehend. Until we change the circumstances around them, the addictions will remain their one fix they can rely on.
Myth number two; Homeless people do not seek assistance and services and would simply prefer to be on the street. The data proves that when people are approached in a respectful and kind manner and with available and appropriate resources, they are eager to accept help towards self-sufficiency. National outreach professionals agree that it takes multiple contacts to build trust towards accepting assistance. Most people living on the street have little or no history of trusting or safe relationships. Parents have abandoned them. Caregivers have abused them. Partners have beaten them. Bullies have humiliated them. Schools have failed them. Employers have rejected them. Fellow homeless have stolen from them. Drug sellers have offered them a scourge of mind altering substances. Government has taken away their social safety net. Many have had no experience being housed permanently and with no access to training and supports, all they know is the street. It is not their preference, but it is their comfort zone.
Myth number three; Homeless people are lazy and just do not want to work and are looking for a free ride. They do not care about their future. One in five homeless people are employed. Many homeless people are among the working poor, and a relatively small percentage of them receive government assistance. Welfare rates and minimum wages do not even meet the poverty line. There are no incentives for people on income assistance to work, and the costs of employment often make it impossible to keep that employment. How can someone get a job when they don’t have a home? How can one think about their future when they are too busy thinking about where their next meal is coming from, and where they are going to sleep in order to stay warm and dry?
Myth number four; It is easy to be poor and homeless. For those not having a warm place to live during the winter and missing days worth of meals, life is not easy. For those telling their kids the family is camping because they don’t want the kids to know their permanent home is a tent, life is not easy. For those who pull their teeth out with pliers to deal with pain they cannot pay a dentist to fix, life is not easy. It is highly unlikely that there are any homeless people who actually enjoy it or choose is consciously and with a clear mind.
Myth number five; Homeless people are mostly single men. In reality, families constitute a large and growing percentage of the homeless population. A recent study found that families comprise 38% of the urban homeless population. Other research has found that homeless families comprise the majority of homeless people in rural areas. Most don’t realize this because homeless families stay hidden.
Myth number six; Homeless people are dangerous and they break the law. In general, the homeless are among the least threatening group in our society and are more likely to be victims of crime. Although they are more likely to commit non-violent and non-destructive crimes, they are less likely to commit crimes against person or property.
Myth number seven; Charitable groups will take care of the homeless. The growth of homelessness has far exceeded the capacity of charitable groups, many of whom struggle just to keep an address and employees on payroll. It cannot be left up to non profit societies and churches to apply band-aids to this public wound. Homelessness is a societal problem that requires a partnership between charities and the government, and the key to make this happen is active public support.
For those who have homes and resources, there is a social and moral responsibility to ensure the well-being of other community members who lack these essentials. When one suffers, we all suffer. Poverty tends to roll uphill and none of us are untouchable. More and more people are realizing this in 2008. In fact, at some point in their lives, one out of fifteen readers of this column will find themselves homeless, either living on the streets, in a shelter, or sleeping on a friend's floor. Many of us live one paycheck away from eviction, and many more barely cover our living expenses even with the money we earn in forty and fifty hours on the job each week. So don’t be too quick to judge those who are currently less fortunate than you are right now. Don’t let the myths define your reality.
Myth number one; People choose to be homeless. I hear this opinion frequently, and sadly, from politicians, those who have the power and mandate to make a difference. To say someone chooses to sleep outside and experience all the indignities that go with that type of existence, to suggest that those who couch surf prefer this type of transient lifestyle, to determine that those who put up with beatings and abuse in exchange for shelter must not mind it or they would leave, shows that we are nowhere near solving the issue when we still do not understand why it exists and worse, we blame the homeless for their plight. It is always easier to blame the victim when that victim is bothering you for a handout, when that victim smells and looks bad, when that victim has loud arguments with imaginary companions, when that victim goes back to the abuse but continues to ask for assistance, when the victim continually uses the resources of cash and manpower strapped social service agencies but does not improve his or her living situation. It is easy to blame the victim when they cannot get or hold down a job, cannot find an apartment like the rest of us seem to be able to, when the victim cannot stay clean and sober. Many people look down their noses and say they choose to do that. They choose to have mental illness, learning disabilities, childhood trauma, childhood poverty, broken homes, health problems, sudden job loss, or for their rent go up beyond what their income is. I hope my sarcasm is well noted. These are not choices people make. For those who are so damaged by trauma, mental health and addiction issues, for those taken out of institutions with no proper supports, for those who have made bad or stupid choices, we must remember that they were not capable of making informed choices in the first place. It is like blaming a two year old for touching a hot stove. Addicts do not choose to become addicts. Often the drugs are the only safe place they have from their long history of personal pain, some of which is so horrofic we cannot even begin to comprehend. Until we change the circumstances around them, the addictions will remain their one fix they can rely on.
Myth number two; Homeless people do not seek assistance and services and would simply prefer to be on the street. The data proves that when people are approached in a respectful and kind manner and with available and appropriate resources, they are eager to accept help towards self-sufficiency. National outreach professionals agree that it takes multiple contacts to build trust towards accepting assistance. Most people living on the street have little or no history of trusting or safe relationships. Parents have abandoned them. Caregivers have abused them. Partners have beaten them. Bullies have humiliated them. Schools have failed them. Employers have rejected them. Fellow homeless have stolen from them. Drug sellers have offered them a scourge of mind altering substances. Government has taken away their social safety net. Many have had no experience being housed permanently and with no access to training and supports, all they know is the street. It is not their preference, but it is their comfort zone.
Myth number three; Homeless people are lazy and just do not want to work and are looking for a free ride. They do not care about their future. One in five homeless people are employed. Many homeless people are among the working poor, and a relatively small percentage of them receive government assistance. Welfare rates and minimum wages do not even meet the poverty line. There are no incentives for people on income assistance to work, and the costs of employment often make it impossible to keep that employment. How can someone get a job when they don’t have a home? How can one think about their future when they are too busy thinking about where their next meal is coming from, and where they are going to sleep in order to stay warm and dry?
Myth number four; It is easy to be poor and homeless. For those not having a warm place to live during the winter and missing days worth of meals, life is not easy. For those telling their kids the family is camping because they don’t want the kids to know their permanent home is a tent, life is not easy. For those who pull their teeth out with pliers to deal with pain they cannot pay a dentist to fix, life is not easy. It is highly unlikely that there are any homeless people who actually enjoy it or choose is consciously and with a clear mind.
Myth number five; Homeless people are mostly single men. In reality, families constitute a large and growing percentage of the homeless population. A recent study found that families comprise 38% of the urban homeless population. Other research has found that homeless families comprise the majority of homeless people in rural areas. Most don’t realize this because homeless families stay hidden.
Myth number six; Homeless people are dangerous and they break the law. In general, the homeless are among the least threatening group in our society and are more likely to be victims of crime. Although they are more likely to commit non-violent and non-destructive crimes, they are less likely to commit crimes against person or property.
Myth number seven; Charitable groups will take care of the homeless. The growth of homelessness has far exceeded the capacity of charitable groups, many of whom struggle just to keep an address and employees on payroll. It cannot be left up to non profit societies and churches to apply band-aids to this public wound. Homelessness is a societal problem that requires a partnership between charities and the government, and the key to make this happen is active public support.
For those who have homes and resources, there is a social and moral responsibility to ensure the well-being of other community members who lack these essentials. When one suffers, we all suffer. Poverty tends to roll uphill and none of us are untouchable. More and more people are realizing this in 2008. In fact, at some point in their lives, one out of fifteen readers of this column will find themselves homeless, either living on the streets, in a shelter, or sleeping on a friend's floor. Many of us live one paycheck away from eviction, and many more barely cover our living expenses even with the money we earn in forty and fifty hours on the job each week. So don’t be too quick to judge those who are currently less fortunate than you are right now. Don’t let the myths define your reality.
Tidings of Comfort and Joy
here is always just cause to review the past year leading up to Auld Lang Syne. Working in the field of poverty and social justice can be depressing, and I often wonder why I keep doing it when there seems to be little progress for many whose lives are impacted in ways most of us cannot imagine.
While we are all hoping for tidings of comfort and joy, there are some things we cannot “ho ho ho” about!
Recently I saw a front page photograph in a regional newspaper of homeless people curled up sleeping on church pews. This was hailed as a good thing. We were bringing people in from the cold. Is this really a good thing? I felt a little ashamed that Canada’s progress on social issues is about as comforting as sleeping like that.
As we close out 2008, here is a list of what we need to think about as we worship, count our blessings, donate to the many causes we support this time of year, and celebrate our abundance and gratitude with family and friends.
If you are the parent of a special needs child or adult in B.C., you are probably one of more than 2000 stagnating on waiting lists for services that could mean the difference between going bankrupt while paying for services yourself, tragically surrendering your child into government care, housing and caring for your “child” full time long after your retirement years and worrying what will happen after you die, versus obtaining respite services, special education assistance, supported housing, and early childhood intervention. Even BC's Representative for Children and Youth says that there has been no progress on waitlist management since her last report on wait times for services for children and youth with special needs. With the recent eligibility regulations requiring an I.Q. of 70 or below, many will never receive the community living services they need, but will most certainly end up in jails, hospitals, on the streets or in the morgue.
This Christmas an estimated 150,000-300,000 Canadians are homeless. The annual cost of homelessness is estimated at $4.5 billion. Affordable housing with supports is five times less expensive than jail and psychiatric hospitals, , and about half the cost of emergency shelters, which is how we are dealing with some of it right now
Currently more than 1.4 million Canadian households spend more than 30% of income on housing. In our current economy, the possibility of job losses puts many lower income and fixed income seniors, single mothers, immigrants, and aboriginal families at significant risk of homelessness. The numbers are growing daily.
Food Banks Canada has released their “Hunger Count 2008”. It shows that more working families are using food banks, with 14% of users having some income from employment, probably minimum wage, and 37% of Canadians using food banks were children. While we continue to recognize that food banks, meant to be a temporary measure, need our ongoing donor support, over 700,000 Canadians have accessed food banks every month since 1997. In BC, 28.2% of users were lone parent families, 19.1% were two parent families, 11.3% were couples with no children, and 41.4% were single people. Most who use food banks use soup kitchens too. This is not the way for our children to grow up or for our neighbors to live.
The National Council on Welfare has released its report on 2006 and 2007 welfare incomes across the country. While many people think those on welfare should get a job, the current system makes it very difficult. People lose financial support for their children as well as dental, health and prescription drug coverage. Combined with the costs of employment including child care, many families are financially worse off than they would be had they not gotten a job.
We need to remember that while poverty and hardship is the absence of wealth it does not mean the absence of intelligence, integrity, sensitivity, values, or character. In this season of giving, give of not just your care or concern but of your voice, so that those without one can have their dignity back. Contact your representatives at all three level of government, participate in the federal government’s online budget consultation, or go to www.endwaitlists-now.org.
It could be the best seasons greetings you could give.
While we are all hoping for tidings of comfort and joy, there are some things we cannot “ho ho ho” about!
Recently I saw a front page photograph in a regional newspaper of homeless people curled up sleeping on church pews. This was hailed as a good thing. We were bringing people in from the cold. Is this really a good thing? I felt a little ashamed that Canada’s progress on social issues is about as comforting as sleeping like that.
As we close out 2008, here is a list of what we need to think about as we worship, count our blessings, donate to the many causes we support this time of year, and celebrate our abundance and gratitude with family and friends.
If you are the parent of a special needs child or adult in B.C., you are probably one of more than 2000 stagnating on waiting lists for services that could mean the difference between going bankrupt while paying for services yourself, tragically surrendering your child into government care, housing and caring for your “child” full time long after your retirement years and worrying what will happen after you die, versus obtaining respite services, special education assistance, supported housing, and early childhood intervention. Even BC's Representative for Children and Youth says that there has been no progress on waitlist management since her last report on wait times for services for children and youth with special needs. With the recent eligibility regulations requiring an I.Q. of 70 or below, many will never receive the community living services they need, but will most certainly end up in jails, hospitals, on the streets or in the morgue.
This Christmas an estimated 150,000-300,000 Canadians are homeless. The annual cost of homelessness is estimated at $4.5 billion. Affordable housing with supports is five times less expensive than jail and psychiatric hospitals, , and about half the cost of emergency shelters, which is how we are dealing with some of it right now
Currently more than 1.4 million Canadian households spend more than 30% of income on housing. In our current economy, the possibility of job losses puts many lower income and fixed income seniors, single mothers, immigrants, and aboriginal families at significant risk of homelessness. The numbers are growing daily.
Food Banks Canada has released their “Hunger Count 2008”. It shows that more working families are using food banks, with 14% of users having some income from employment, probably minimum wage, and 37% of Canadians using food banks were children. While we continue to recognize that food banks, meant to be a temporary measure, need our ongoing donor support, over 700,000 Canadians have accessed food banks every month since 1997. In BC, 28.2% of users were lone parent families, 19.1% were two parent families, 11.3% were couples with no children, and 41.4% were single people. Most who use food banks use soup kitchens too. This is not the way for our children to grow up or for our neighbors to live.
The National Council on Welfare has released its report on 2006 and 2007 welfare incomes across the country. While many people think those on welfare should get a job, the current system makes it very difficult. People lose financial support for their children as well as dental, health and prescription drug coverage. Combined with the costs of employment including child care, many families are financially worse off than they would be had they not gotten a job.
We need to remember that while poverty and hardship is the absence of wealth it does not mean the absence of intelligence, integrity, sensitivity, values, or character. In this season of giving, give of not just your care or concern but of your voice, so that those without one can have their dignity back. Contact your representatives at all three level of government, participate in the federal government’s online budget consultation, or go to www.endwaitlists-now.org.
It could be the best seasons greetings you could give.
Letter to Editor Election 2009
Dear Sir,
I read with interest the letter from Andrew Turner (Mother and Father Not The Answer, Courier Islander Campbell River – April 24, 2009) regarding the underlying social current in our Province and his concerns about “the NDP mothers” and “union fathers” taking control of our lives for our own good, crippling the life of a mature province and creating a culture of irresponsible demanding victims.
I think Mr. Turner needs to worry more about Big Brother yelling to the masses from his ivory tower ‘Do you Believe” or “This is the best place on earth”. Just because you chant it repeatedly doesn’t mean it is so. In the last 8 years, the Liberals have crippled the life of marginalized people, and have created a culture of poor bashing and neglect of unforgiveable proportions.
Mr. Turner insults NDP supporters as nothing more than a group of hairy backwards thinking lazy high school drop outs and overprotective mothers who do everything including feeding sandwiches to angry 40 year old sons living in the basement. Let’s go with that analogy.
In many cases, the basements in this province are the best places on earth for thousands of marginalized British Columbians who have fallen victim to the Big Brother locking them down there. The unlucky ones comprise our street homeless populations that we all know are at the highest rate in BC history.
But let’s get back to the parents’ basements.
We have the 40 year old seriously developmentally disabled son who is rotting on waiting lists to get the support he needs while his elderly parents struggle in isolation or spiral into crisis and breakdown.
We have the 40 year old recently unemployed millworker and his family forced to move into that basement because they are now unemployed thanks to mill closures under the Liberal watch.
We have the 40 year old woman and her child fleeing to that basement from an abusive and violent marriage who is on a three week waiting list for an emergency needs assessment at welfare and cannot qualify for legal aid, which has just taken more significant cuts as it did in 2002 under the Liberal watch.
We have a 40 year old man who grew up poor and who could not afford tuition to qualify for anything other than minimum wage jobs and now cannot afford the spiralling costs of rent in this province and no hopes of finding any social housing available. His children are some of the 21.9% of kids in B.C. who live in poverty, the highest rate in Canada. They live in his parents basement now, they were in a camper before that.
We have a 40 year old man who has terminal cancer and cannot qualify for disability assistance because his condition is not expected to last for two years. His $610.00 a month does not cover his medical, housing or nutrition needs. He really appreciates the sandwich.
We have a 40 year old man who is serving a year of house arrest for street racing and killing a family in the process.
We have some younger people in the basement too. A lot of 19 year olds who have aged out of the foster care system, many of whom have terrible emotional and mental handicaps who have been set free to the streets to figure it out. Some are lucky enough to be taken in by good Samaritans or family members who may have a room in their basement and who are charitable enough to make that sandwich for them, but the soup kitchens try to take up the slack.
We have children hiding in the basement so the parent can go to work to make a living but cannot afford child care so they are told to stay there and not answer the door.
Mr. Turner is probably not aware of a new term called middle aged boomerangers, an alarming trend, thanks to the economy that Big Brother thinks is so great, of formerly solvent 30 and 40 something’s who are moving back in with parents because they can no longer afford to pay for their own housing. Many are professionals with university educations. They are not just the irresponsible NDP potheads who aspire for that cushy union job. While they are in the basement, they can occupy their brains with the reading of the recent 121 page Ombudsman’s Report on Improving Fairness and Accountability in B.C.’s welfare system, or the many reports from the Representative for Children and Youth demanding better services to children in care in this province and more accountability for those who have died in care.
At least the NDP is willing to go into the basements of British Columbians and talk about what they see. The Liberals stay in their ivory towers and don’t look down unless they hear a noise. It is the NDP who is making that noise. The Liberals just want us to pay for more soundproofing.
I read with interest the letter from Andrew Turner (Mother and Father Not The Answer, Courier Islander Campbell River – April 24, 2009) regarding the underlying social current in our Province and his concerns about “the NDP mothers” and “union fathers” taking control of our lives for our own good, crippling the life of a mature province and creating a culture of irresponsible demanding victims.
I think Mr. Turner needs to worry more about Big Brother yelling to the masses from his ivory tower ‘Do you Believe” or “This is the best place on earth”. Just because you chant it repeatedly doesn’t mean it is so. In the last 8 years, the Liberals have crippled the life of marginalized people, and have created a culture of poor bashing and neglect of unforgiveable proportions.
Mr. Turner insults NDP supporters as nothing more than a group of hairy backwards thinking lazy high school drop outs and overprotective mothers who do everything including feeding sandwiches to angry 40 year old sons living in the basement. Let’s go with that analogy.
In many cases, the basements in this province are the best places on earth for thousands of marginalized British Columbians who have fallen victim to the Big Brother locking them down there. The unlucky ones comprise our street homeless populations that we all know are at the highest rate in BC history.
But let’s get back to the parents’ basements.
We have the 40 year old seriously developmentally disabled son who is rotting on waiting lists to get the support he needs while his elderly parents struggle in isolation or spiral into crisis and breakdown.
We have the 40 year old recently unemployed millworker and his family forced to move into that basement because they are now unemployed thanks to mill closures under the Liberal watch.
We have the 40 year old woman and her child fleeing to that basement from an abusive and violent marriage who is on a three week waiting list for an emergency needs assessment at welfare and cannot qualify for legal aid, which has just taken more significant cuts as it did in 2002 under the Liberal watch.
We have a 40 year old man who grew up poor and who could not afford tuition to qualify for anything other than minimum wage jobs and now cannot afford the spiralling costs of rent in this province and no hopes of finding any social housing available. His children are some of the 21.9% of kids in B.C. who live in poverty, the highest rate in Canada. They live in his parents basement now, they were in a camper before that.
We have a 40 year old man who has terminal cancer and cannot qualify for disability assistance because his condition is not expected to last for two years. His $610.00 a month does not cover his medical, housing or nutrition needs. He really appreciates the sandwich.
We have a 40 year old man who is serving a year of house arrest for street racing and killing a family in the process.
We have some younger people in the basement too. A lot of 19 year olds who have aged out of the foster care system, many of whom have terrible emotional and mental handicaps who have been set free to the streets to figure it out. Some are lucky enough to be taken in by good Samaritans or family members who may have a room in their basement and who are charitable enough to make that sandwich for them, but the soup kitchens try to take up the slack.
We have children hiding in the basement so the parent can go to work to make a living but cannot afford child care so they are told to stay there and not answer the door.
Mr. Turner is probably not aware of a new term called middle aged boomerangers, an alarming trend, thanks to the economy that Big Brother thinks is so great, of formerly solvent 30 and 40 something’s who are moving back in with parents because they can no longer afford to pay for their own housing. Many are professionals with university educations. They are not just the irresponsible NDP potheads who aspire for that cushy union job. While they are in the basement, they can occupy their brains with the reading of the recent 121 page Ombudsman’s Report on Improving Fairness and Accountability in B.C.’s welfare system, or the many reports from the Representative for Children and Youth demanding better services to children in care in this province and more accountability for those who have died in care.
At least the NDP is willing to go into the basements of British Columbians and talk about what they see. The Liberals stay in their ivory towers and don’t look down unless they hear a noise. It is the NDP who is making that noise. The Liberals just want us to pay for more soundproofing.
Watch your money (be taken)
Many Campbell Riverites are deciding what to do with a $3400.00 cheque coming their way. The current circumstances in B.C., with the worst rate of full-time job losses, the second worst performing economy and the highest level of child poverty in the country defines the outcome for many people in our community who have found themselves on social assistance and waiting for this money.
In the last six months, the number of people on welfare rose 26% to just over 50,000.
Of that, two parent families on welfare increased by 71%.
Why? Job losses mainly. Our employment insurance program is not working, so many unemployed have turned to social assistance and that meager income places demands on food banks and homeless shelters for those who do not have enough money to eat or pay rent. Since a significant portion of people on social assistance have not been on it very long, and at one time had the money to invest in our local CRTV, they will be among those receiving this windfall.
Unfortunately, they will not be permitted the luxury of buying their kids some long overdue clothing, to get that dental work done, paying off the hydro arrears, to do some real grocery shopping for a few months, or to just simply get ahead.
In 2002, many of the incentives and earnings exemptions that came along with receiving social assistance were eliminated. You could no longer keep a portion of your child support ($200.00) or earn some money on the side ($200.00)without it being deducted dollar for dollar. Monetary gifts or goods in kind, honorariums, or any earned or unearned monies not issued by welfare had to be reported and were now deducted dollar for dollar from their next welfare check. Transportation costs during the first month of a new job – gone. A “transition to work” benefit of $150.00 a month to assist with childcare, work clothing, transportation costs for the first year of employment – gone.
A single person on welfare in our community who is classified as “expected to work” receives up to $610.00 a month. A two parent family with three kids receives up to $1151.06.
So imagine yourself in a position you are not used to, trying to pay for everything just to maintain a basic standard of living. Then imagine you cannot do that anymore on your current welfare income, and suddenly you cannot shop in every aisle of the grocery store anymore, your kids are wearing last year’s shoes, bill collectors call you every day, your whole family is depressed, and you are basically living in struggle and starve mode. Now you are about to find out the light at the end of the tunnel this month has been switched off.
The Ministry of Housing and Social Development has announced that the share dividends from the sale of CRTV are considered unearned income. There are no earnings exemptions for this kind of unearned income for recipients of social assistance and as such the money will be deducted dollar for dollar. The income has to be reported. If it is not reported, and you receive your welfare cheque the next month, and following months, you will be in an overpayment situation. There is no discretion to apply exemptions to this income and dividend income will show on your income tax records so the Ministry will eventually be notified you got it, and sanctions would likely be applied against you for trying to rip them off by trying to live with some dignity for a change.
Most people will only lose their next month’s welfare income so have to budget for that out of the money they receive. However, depending on a family’s circumstances, and what they currently have in “assets”, there could be some recipients who are impacted beyond the following month if the dividend money puts them over their asset level (single person: $1500.00, Couples or one/two parent families: $2500.00, Disabled person: $3000.00, Couples or families with one disabled person: $5000.00). You could not receive a welfare check for quite some time and be expected to live off the money at the rate you get on welfare. In other words, your life continues to suck.
This situation applies to those who are receiving provincial disability benefits as well so any plans you had to improve your daily living with medical, dental, or nutritional extras are probably going to have to be cancelled.
There is just cause to shed a light in this dark tunnel on the fact that in 2002 when the social safety net was taken apart, the Deputy Human Resources Minister was offered a $15,400 bonus for cutting welfare numbers by 2% her first year on the job. She was also asked to come up with policies to reduce the number of people receiving disability assistance. This bonus would have topped her $154,000 salary. While welfare rolls were cut by 26% (and homelessness went up) she was not able to figure out a way to stop people with disabilities from qualifying for supports so she only got part of the bonus.
In 2007, Gordon Campbell voted himself a 54% pay raise which took his annual salary to $186,000.
I guess they have to get the money from somewhere.
If you have any questions about what you should do with the money as it relates to your own situation on social assistance, call the Ministry at 1-866-866-0800, press 3 and then press 4 to connect directly with a worker in Campbell River.
In the last six months, the number of people on welfare rose 26% to just over 50,000.
Of that, two parent families on welfare increased by 71%.
Why? Job losses mainly. Our employment insurance program is not working, so many unemployed have turned to social assistance and that meager income places demands on food banks and homeless shelters for those who do not have enough money to eat or pay rent. Since a significant portion of people on social assistance have not been on it very long, and at one time had the money to invest in our local CRTV, they will be among those receiving this windfall.
Unfortunately, they will not be permitted the luxury of buying their kids some long overdue clothing, to get that dental work done, paying off the hydro arrears, to do some real grocery shopping for a few months, or to just simply get ahead.
In 2002, many of the incentives and earnings exemptions that came along with receiving social assistance were eliminated. You could no longer keep a portion of your child support ($200.00) or earn some money on the side ($200.00)without it being deducted dollar for dollar. Monetary gifts or goods in kind, honorariums, or any earned or unearned monies not issued by welfare had to be reported and were now deducted dollar for dollar from their next welfare check. Transportation costs during the first month of a new job – gone. A “transition to work” benefit of $150.00 a month to assist with childcare, work clothing, transportation costs for the first year of employment – gone.
A single person on welfare in our community who is classified as “expected to work” receives up to $610.00 a month. A two parent family with three kids receives up to $1151.06.
So imagine yourself in a position you are not used to, trying to pay for everything just to maintain a basic standard of living. Then imagine you cannot do that anymore on your current welfare income, and suddenly you cannot shop in every aisle of the grocery store anymore, your kids are wearing last year’s shoes, bill collectors call you every day, your whole family is depressed, and you are basically living in struggle and starve mode. Now you are about to find out the light at the end of the tunnel this month has been switched off.
The Ministry of Housing and Social Development has announced that the share dividends from the sale of CRTV are considered unearned income. There are no earnings exemptions for this kind of unearned income for recipients of social assistance and as such the money will be deducted dollar for dollar. The income has to be reported. If it is not reported, and you receive your welfare cheque the next month, and following months, you will be in an overpayment situation. There is no discretion to apply exemptions to this income and dividend income will show on your income tax records so the Ministry will eventually be notified you got it, and sanctions would likely be applied against you for trying to rip them off by trying to live with some dignity for a change.
Most people will only lose their next month’s welfare income so have to budget for that out of the money they receive. However, depending on a family’s circumstances, and what they currently have in “assets”, there could be some recipients who are impacted beyond the following month if the dividend money puts them over their asset level (single person: $1500.00, Couples or one/two parent families: $2500.00, Disabled person: $3000.00, Couples or families with one disabled person: $5000.00). You could not receive a welfare check for quite some time and be expected to live off the money at the rate you get on welfare. In other words, your life continues to suck.
This situation applies to those who are receiving provincial disability benefits as well so any plans you had to improve your daily living with medical, dental, or nutritional extras are probably going to have to be cancelled.
There is just cause to shed a light in this dark tunnel on the fact that in 2002 when the social safety net was taken apart, the Deputy Human Resources Minister was offered a $15,400 bonus for cutting welfare numbers by 2% her first year on the job. She was also asked to come up with policies to reduce the number of people receiving disability assistance. This bonus would have topped her $154,000 salary. While welfare rolls were cut by 26% (and homelessness went up) she was not able to figure out a way to stop people with disabilities from qualifying for supports so she only got part of the bonus.
In 2007, Gordon Campbell voted himself a 54% pay raise which took his annual salary to $186,000.
I guess they have to get the money from somewhere.
If you have any questions about what you should do with the money as it relates to your own situation on social assistance, call the Ministry at 1-866-866-0800, press 3 and then press 4 to connect directly with a worker in Campbell River.
Healthiest Jurisdiction for those elected to it.
Part II
In 2008, Premier Campbell told Global Television: “I want to be able to look to my grandkids and say ‘you know what?
“When your grandfather was there as the premier of the province, I did everything I could to make the world as good a place as it was for me, for you. And that means we have to make some tough decisions. But at least I made them with the right thing in mind, and that was the future that they had and that all of the other grandkids in the province will have.” (Global, Dec. 31, 2008)
High school students who look to the future by applying for the Premier’s Excellence Awards should be made aware that the finalists this year, who, in good faith, went through the complicated application process, found out without prior notification, that the whole program which started in 1986, had been cancelled. They did get a hard lesson in crisis budgeting though.
Special needs children have also received devastating cuts to services. Notably, early intervention programs for children with autism have been cut resulting in over 40 layoffs of specialized staff at Queen Alexandria Hospital. Books for Babies is gone. It sounds like an obscure, cute little program, providing parents of newborns with a bag with a book, a CD, and information about library services, but it goes along with the elimination of 16 regional literacy coordinators and reading centres across the province. More than four in ten adults struggle with basic literacy skills and the next generation will probably be worse off now.
Healthy Choices in Pregnancy, aimed at reducing the number of infants born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, was cancelled a year before it was slated to finish and leaving Vancouver Women’s Hospital with the bill.
For children exposed to violence in their homes, domestic violence programs and Transition House budgets are on the chopping block. Since children have the best chance to be screened for exposure to domestic violence if they go through a Transition House, more of them will continue living in terror and pain.
Earlier in the year Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said she was worried about the “declining situation” with the economy and its impact, along with a weakened support system, on children: “I’m bringing forward an issue that requires attention by all people… I think there’s a systemic concern – which is a declining situation for children, the impact of cuts in the system on them, and the need to co-ordinate that system to serve them.” (The Times Colonist, June 25, 2009) Her comments were made when she asked for a joint meeting to discuss child poverty with Gordon Campbell and Carole James. The premier declined to attend the meeting.
In the 2005 Speech from the Throne, the Government of British Columbia stated that “B.C. will become the healthiest jurisdiction to ever host the Olympics.”
Healthiest jurisdiction for whom?
In 2006, B.C.’s Liberal government dealt its top political staff a 25-per-cent pay hike, two years later, more raises ranging from 22 per cent at the low end to 43 per cent for Premier Gordon Campbell’s deputy minister.
About 20 other deputy ministers were dealt a raise of 35 per cent, with salaries rising from $221,760 to a maximum of $299,215. About 80 assistant deputy ministers go from $160,000 to a maximum of $195,000.
Gordon Campbell voted to give himself a 54 per cent pay increase – an extra $89,000 a year.
There is just cause to conclude this is the healthiest jurisdiction for the children of our senior bureaucrats and politicians.
In 2008, Premier Campbell told Global Television: “I want to be able to look to my grandkids and say ‘you know what?
“When your grandfather was there as the premier of the province, I did everything I could to make the world as good a place as it was for me, for you. And that means we have to make some tough decisions. But at least I made them with the right thing in mind, and that was the future that they had and that all of the other grandkids in the province will have.” (Global, Dec. 31, 2008)
High school students who look to the future by applying for the Premier’s Excellence Awards should be made aware that the finalists this year, who, in good faith, went through the complicated application process, found out without prior notification, that the whole program which started in 1986, had been cancelled. They did get a hard lesson in crisis budgeting though.
Special needs children have also received devastating cuts to services. Notably, early intervention programs for children with autism have been cut resulting in over 40 layoffs of specialized staff at Queen Alexandria Hospital. Books for Babies is gone. It sounds like an obscure, cute little program, providing parents of newborns with a bag with a book, a CD, and information about library services, but it goes along with the elimination of 16 regional literacy coordinators and reading centres across the province. More than four in ten adults struggle with basic literacy skills and the next generation will probably be worse off now.
Healthy Choices in Pregnancy, aimed at reducing the number of infants born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, was cancelled a year before it was slated to finish and leaving Vancouver Women’s Hospital with the bill.
For children exposed to violence in their homes, domestic violence programs and Transition House budgets are on the chopping block. Since children have the best chance to be screened for exposure to domestic violence if they go through a Transition House, more of them will continue living in terror and pain.
Earlier in the year Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said she was worried about the “declining situation” with the economy and its impact, along with a weakened support system, on children: “I’m bringing forward an issue that requires attention by all people… I think there’s a systemic concern – which is a declining situation for children, the impact of cuts in the system on them, and the need to co-ordinate that system to serve them.” (The Times Colonist, June 25, 2009) Her comments were made when she asked for a joint meeting to discuss child poverty with Gordon Campbell and Carole James. The premier declined to attend the meeting.
In the 2005 Speech from the Throne, the Government of British Columbia stated that “B.C. will become the healthiest jurisdiction to ever host the Olympics.”
Healthiest jurisdiction for whom?
In 2006, B.C.’s Liberal government dealt its top political staff a 25-per-cent pay hike, two years later, more raises ranging from 22 per cent at the low end to 43 per cent for Premier Gordon Campbell’s deputy minister.
About 20 other deputy ministers were dealt a raise of 35 per cent, with salaries rising from $221,760 to a maximum of $299,215. About 80 assistant deputy ministers go from $160,000 to a maximum of $195,000.
Gordon Campbell voted to give himself a 54 per cent pay increase – an extra $89,000 a year.
There is just cause to conclude this is the healthiest jurisdiction for the children of our senior bureaucrats and politicians.
Who cares about the children?
Part I
There is just cause to worry about the children in our country and the fact they have very little protection of their rights and wellbeing.
For children in care who die under suspicious circumstances, or after children in bad homes are seriously injured or killed, most of the intervention happens afterwards because the authorities have to wait for something to happen first.
The child welfare system is in crisis with 49 critical injuries and 30 deaths of children in provincial care in a four month period. Gross underfunding means not enough staff on the front lines to protect our children.
In our criminal justice system, it is okay to leave little ones to bake in hot cars while you enjoy a cold one at the bar, and it is okay to molest young girls if you marry them first and call it religious freedom. Winston Blackmore, 52, and James Oler, 44, were charged with sexual exploitation, statutory rape and the trafficking of young girls across international borders for sexual purposes. But, the charges were dropped as were the best interests and safety of their child wives.
Child poverty, vowed by provincial and federal governments to be eradicated by 2000, has thrived, and B.C. leads the country for the sixth year in a row with one in five children suffering in poverty stricken circumstances due to chronic under-funding and cuts to social programs since the Liberals came into power in 2001. Over half of children in poverty live with working parents.
Things are about to get worse. It is very difficult to provide a comprehensive review of all the cuts children are about to receive. Policy analysts, service providers, and media are frustrated and the government is being smug and refusing to provide a list. If they did, the list would be long enough to have to spill over into two of my columns. And it will.
First, there will be no additional funds for childcare for the latch key kids whose parent(s) cannot afford or get space in local daycare facilities. There will be no additional funding for BC Housing, so children can continue to live in unsafe and unhealthy conditions, often alone before and after school because there is no childcare for them.
Children will go to schools that are falling apart because maintenance for schools has been cut, and there will be a pathetic display of broken and outdated books in school libraries and public libraries because, along with literacy programs, funding is gone. If a child is interested in sports, he or she will probably not be traveling for competitions, wearing a team uniform, or even having a team to join, because BC School sports funding is no more. The minister defends it by saying these kids can “dance and play in the park.” If a student is hungry, they can join the food bank line-ups along with the other 60 per cent of families with children. B.C. school lunch programs took a hit too. While the students are playing in the park, they should know that playground grants have been cut along with half the money to Parent Advisory Councils. Maybe they can find some dirty needles to play with since so many of our homeless and addicted cannot get into housing or treatment.
In end-of-2008 interviews, Premier Gordon Campbell said his time in office was “all about the kids.” On the CBC in 2008 he said “I think all of us in elected life, all of us in life, look at our grandkids and say ‘we want you to have the best possible life.’ I think if that means we have to make some tough choices where we have to make the right decisions now for them we should do it. Because I want to look to my grandkids in 15 years and say ‘I did everything I could to make sure you had the province I enjoyed and I just didn’t keep taking and taking and taking away. I actually gave back so you had a better province to live in.”
Stay tuned for more of the same.
There is just cause to worry about the children in our country and the fact they have very little protection of their rights and wellbeing.
For children in care who die under suspicious circumstances, or after children in bad homes are seriously injured or killed, most of the intervention happens afterwards because the authorities have to wait for something to happen first.
The child welfare system is in crisis with 49 critical injuries and 30 deaths of children in provincial care in a four month period. Gross underfunding means not enough staff on the front lines to protect our children.
In our criminal justice system, it is okay to leave little ones to bake in hot cars while you enjoy a cold one at the bar, and it is okay to molest young girls if you marry them first and call it religious freedom. Winston Blackmore, 52, and James Oler, 44, were charged with sexual exploitation, statutory rape and the trafficking of young girls across international borders for sexual purposes. But, the charges were dropped as were the best interests and safety of their child wives.
Child poverty, vowed by provincial and federal governments to be eradicated by 2000, has thrived, and B.C. leads the country for the sixth year in a row with one in five children suffering in poverty stricken circumstances due to chronic under-funding and cuts to social programs since the Liberals came into power in 2001. Over half of children in poverty live with working parents.
Things are about to get worse. It is very difficult to provide a comprehensive review of all the cuts children are about to receive. Policy analysts, service providers, and media are frustrated and the government is being smug and refusing to provide a list. If they did, the list would be long enough to have to spill over into two of my columns. And it will.
First, there will be no additional funds for childcare for the latch key kids whose parent(s) cannot afford or get space in local daycare facilities. There will be no additional funding for BC Housing, so children can continue to live in unsafe and unhealthy conditions, often alone before and after school because there is no childcare for them.
Children will go to schools that are falling apart because maintenance for schools has been cut, and there will be a pathetic display of broken and outdated books in school libraries and public libraries because, along with literacy programs, funding is gone. If a child is interested in sports, he or she will probably not be traveling for competitions, wearing a team uniform, or even having a team to join, because BC School sports funding is no more. The minister defends it by saying these kids can “dance and play in the park.” If a student is hungry, they can join the food bank line-ups along with the other 60 per cent of families with children. B.C. school lunch programs took a hit too. While the students are playing in the park, they should know that playground grants have been cut along with half the money to Parent Advisory Councils. Maybe they can find some dirty needles to play with since so many of our homeless and addicted cannot get into housing or treatment.
In end-of-2008 interviews, Premier Gordon Campbell said his time in office was “all about the kids.” On the CBC in 2008 he said “I think all of us in elected life, all of us in life, look at our grandkids and say ‘we want you to have the best possible life.’ I think if that means we have to make some tough choices where we have to make the right decisions now for them we should do it. Because I want to look to my grandkids in 15 years and say ‘I did everything I could to make sure you had the province I enjoyed and I just didn’t keep taking and taking and taking away. I actually gave back so you had a better province to live in.”
Stay tuned for more of the same.
Shelter Forced is Not the Answer
The BC Liberals have pulled another band aid out of their triage kit and applied it to cover up the scab of homelessness, causing it to fester more.
The Assistance to Shelter Act recently passed third reading in the legislature. If it gets final approval, the legislation would give police the authority to take people at risk of harm off the streets and into emergency shelters during extreme weather conditions and to use “reasonable force” if necessary.
The Extreme Weather Response program in B.C. allows communities to temporarily increase the number of emergency shelter beds during extreme weather conditions that threaten the safety and health of homeless individuals and families when the existing emergency shelter beds within the community are overwhelmed, which, in most communities in B.C., is all of the time.
In Campbell River, the definition of Extreme Weather is temperatures below zero with rainfall , sleet, freezing rain, snow accumulation, and/or sustained high winds or just temperatures below -2 Celsius. The Extreme Weather Shelter is open for up to 12 people from 9 pm to 7 am when activated. Each community creates their own protocol. Up to now, admission has been voluntary.
They say this legislation will help to prevent tragedies such as the one that occurred last winter when a woman died trying to keep warm in a makeshift shelter after her candle tipped and caused a fire.
While “shelter forced” might have saved her that night, "housing first" would have probably ensured she was alive, well and thriving today.
“Shelter forced” also has the potential to push the more vulnerable into hiding, with their pets and shopping carts (both not allowed in shelters) or from fearing the police, and fearing shelters which can be a scary or aggravating place for some homeless people, especially for those with mental illnesses. If they hide, no one will see if they are freezing to death or burning from a candle fire. They will die alone and not be easily found.
While Rich Coleman says once at the shelter, homeless have the right to decide whether or not they want to stay at the shelter, they can also be forced into a jail cell too, for their own good.
The Liberals have had eight years and a lot of extreme weather during that time to be concerned about the problem of homelessness. Implementing this street sweep a mere three months before the Winter Olympics is suspect.
In asking the police to clean up their mess, the Liberals fail to acknowledge that they have created more homelessness through their misguided and arrogantly applied legislation, regulations and policies around poverty issues in BC. They are now pushing through legislation that is a gross violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but by the time anyone files a complaint and has it heard, the Olympics will be over. (do I hear a collective sigh of relief from the Government?)
It has been conclusively shown in more forward thinking jurisdictions who have implemented “Housing First” strategies,, that vulnerable and at-risk homeless people are more responsive to interventions and social services support after they are in their own housing, rather than while living in homeless shelters or transitional housing. With permanent housing, people begin to regain control over their lives they lost when they became homeless. Housing First costs less through reduced hospital stays, police interventions, and shelter use. "Shelter Forced" costs more all round, in dollars, in dignity, in deaths for those hiding from the police to avoid being (reasonably) forced into a place they do not want to be and after having done nothing wrong.
There is just cause to consider how much better we would be if we found a long-term solution for people who live on the streets, rather than just moving them out of sight.
The Assistance to Shelter Act recently passed third reading in the legislature. If it gets final approval, the legislation would give police the authority to take people at risk of harm off the streets and into emergency shelters during extreme weather conditions and to use “reasonable force” if necessary.
The Extreme Weather Response program in B.C. allows communities to temporarily increase the number of emergency shelter beds during extreme weather conditions that threaten the safety and health of homeless individuals and families when the existing emergency shelter beds within the community are overwhelmed, which, in most communities in B.C., is all of the time.
In Campbell River, the definition of Extreme Weather is temperatures below zero with rainfall , sleet, freezing rain, snow accumulation, and/or sustained high winds or just temperatures below -2 Celsius. The Extreme Weather Shelter is open for up to 12 people from 9 pm to 7 am when activated. Each community creates their own protocol. Up to now, admission has been voluntary.
They say this legislation will help to prevent tragedies such as the one that occurred last winter when a woman died trying to keep warm in a makeshift shelter after her candle tipped and caused a fire.
While “shelter forced” might have saved her that night, "housing first" would have probably ensured she was alive, well and thriving today.
“Shelter forced” also has the potential to push the more vulnerable into hiding, with their pets and shopping carts (both not allowed in shelters) or from fearing the police, and fearing shelters which can be a scary or aggravating place for some homeless people, especially for those with mental illnesses. If they hide, no one will see if they are freezing to death or burning from a candle fire. They will die alone and not be easily found.
While Rich Coleman says once at the shelter, homeless have the right to decide whether or not they want to stay at the shelter, they can also be forced into a jail cell too, for their own good.
The Liberals have had eight years and a lot of extreme weather during that time to be concerned about the problem of homelessness. Implementing this street sweep a mere three months before the Winter Olympics is suspect.
In asking the police to clean up their mess, the Liberals fail to acknowledge that they have created more homelessness through their misguided and arrogantly applied legislation, regulations and policies around poverty issues in BC. They are now pushing through legislation that is a gross violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but by the time anyone files a complaint and has it heard, the Olympics will be over. (do I hear a collective sigh of relief from the Government?)
It has been conclusively shown in more forward thinking jurisdictions who have implemented “Housing First” strategies,, that vulnerable and at-risk homeless people are more responsive to interventions and social services support after they are in their own housing, rather than while living in homeless shelters or transitional housing. With permanent housing, people begin to regain control over their lives they lost when they became homeless. Housing First costs less through reduced hospital stays, police interventions, and shelter use. "Shelter Forced" costs more all round, in dollars, in dignity, in deaths for those hiding from the police to avoid being (reasonably) forced into a place they do not want to be and after having done nothing wrong.
There is just cause to consider how much better we would be if we found a long-term solution for people who live on the streets, rather than just moving them out of sight.
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