By Kendall Worth!
In this upcoming sitting of the legislature, the first thing on the minds of those living in poverty is:
Is the Government going to display a change of heart from when the house did that rare summer sitting?? I have addressed that at https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2022/07/province-house-resumes-ontuesday-july.html and this https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2022/07/concerns-raised-as-ns-legislature.html, which includes a a video of Halifax Chebucto MLA Gary Burrill speaking about what the government did during that rare Summer sitting and is a must watch.. What actually resulted from this sitting? See: https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2022/07/concerns-raised-as-ns-legislature.html.
Community members have asked me lately if any organization or group is organizing an antipoverty protest outside of province house during this upcoming sitting.
Someone told me yesterday, before writing this current BLOG, the Government During this upcoming sitting should accept this https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2022/10/concerns-around-celebrating.html as a strong message that it is time to raise the Income Assistance Rates or create some other type of program to help people living in poverty offset the cost of living.
Some people, I have recently talked to, have also suggested that during this upcoming sitting, the health and wellness minister should have a look at and study the benefits of a Social Prescribing program for Nova Scotia.
The statements above sum up the way people are feeling about this upcoming sitting of the house, but what people need and want is not limited to what’s mentioned above.
Previously, I wrote about examples of what is needed and they are included in this article. In that piece I suggested:
Even in NON-COVID times, there is next to nothing for people living in poverty and Social Isolation needs to be tackled.
We should not have to rely on charity for things like cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products, household items, and other essentials that the DCS Employment Support and Income Assistance program does not cover as special needs.
Providing allowances for telephones and internet should always be considered essential.
Food-banks and soup-kitchens do not fully cover what people living in poverty need to live day-to-day.
The linked article argues a good point on why a Social Prescription program is needed here in Nova Scotia.
Everyone I talk to lately agrees, that it is high-time for the government to look at all the factors I have mentioned. We are experiencing out-of-control inflation and even financially better off folk are feeling the pinch.
It is high-time the government seriously looks at issues affecting people living in poverty! Healthy eating is a requirement for having the energy to live day to day. Many people are also affected by the negativity of the Employment Support and Income Assistance Program.
But, how are people suppose to have the energy to step up about their situation if their access to good, healthy food day-to-day, is going to get slimmer and slimmer? People in my community are saying that if not having enough access to food continues (and if the Income Assistance rate does not increase ASAP), then they are going to continue to lose interest in wanting to improve their situation. Also, concerns have come up in my community that less access to healthy food is going to make some who currently have the ability to work toward getting off income assistance, lose interest in wanting to do so.
Although the federal government is working on a Disability Benefit these days, that does not eliminate the need for our provincial government to do what it needs to do on it’s end. The Income Assistance Rate needs to increase, and as I have argued before, ESIA transformation needs to continue, and Mental Health services/programs need to improve.
People in my community also believe that it is time to address the problems with the mental health system we have here in Nova Scotia. Some are getting tried of the lack of treatment options, and the difficulty accessing what is available, here in Nova Scotia.
In this upcoming sitting of the house I hope Tim Houston has a change of heart from last summer.
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