An open letter to people living in poverty.

 By Kendall Worth

To: those who live in poverty, as I do… 

 

https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/housing/priced-out/protestors-rally-outside-legislature-demanding-minimum-wage-increase-more-affordable-housing-tenant-protections/

First, for anyone reading my BLOG for the first time, allow me to introduce myself!  My name is Kendall Worth and for several years I have been an advocate for persons living in poverty, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. When my advocacy first began, in 2013, I was with the media co-op. Then I wrote for the Nova Scotia Advocate, and now I have my own “Journalism for What Matters” Blog, which you are reading. Thank you for reading and following.

Before getting into more reasons for writing this letter, I want to be clear that a major reason for writing it is because I want to see a Union of People Living in Poverty get started. I strongly believe that there is something agencies and NGOs can do to help get the word out to people in poverty. They can sk them to participate, to get this going. That is why I have cc’d many levels of government and City Councillors.

I am also writing this letter to raise awareness of the many barriers to participation, faced by people living in poverty -- who may know each other from standing in line at Food Banks or attending Soup Kitchens – in lobbying, protests or rallies, even to improving their own quality of life. Creating a Union cannot happen without the help of people who have resources and time. You will see the reasons why as you read the rest of this letter.

Note:

• These last couple of years we have seen the Homeless population increase due to people not having enough money to live on, including paying for rent. The lack of affordable housing is a joint responsibility of all levels of government.

• If things like Guaranteed Basic Income (which I wrote about here), or If Bill C22 passes, or there is an increase in the Income Assistance Rates, it is not going to cancel out the need for things like Mental Health Services and other programs.

• Because people living in poverty do not have the same resources as financially-better-off-people esp digital/electronic resources like computers and Smart phones… how do we get the word out to those people that a union of people living in poverty is getting started?

• What, after all, is the use of agencies and NGO's  getting together for a meeting to organize such a union, if people living in poverty themselves are not going to show up. We need First Voice to make their demands, and the impact of policies, on their lives, known.

Another major reason for writing this open letter is because I believe (based on my past experiences) and this BLOG post, where, Jen Brady pointed out “Sometimes coming together and combining resources is the solution to some, if not many, problems Income Assistance recipients face”. That has me thinking that maybe there is an opportunity for Non-Profits and agencies to do something to help First Voice/People-living -in-poverty to come together and organize such a union.

To organize a first meeting of First Voice - we would need a space and refreshments, social media accounts, we would need design and printing and maybe some better off volunteers (or an organization could help by paying peers to visit and try and engage) to visit food banks etc to gauge interest and itemize the barriers further, and find solutions to overcome them. It is hard to know exactly what would stimulate the community to participate – it is hard to think about lobbying for social change when you spend all your time keeping body and soul together on too little income. However, we need to do so, if any change is to come!

The main thing that needs to be understood,and another reason for writing this letter is:

There are many barriers and many different reasons why people who know each other from standing in line at the Food-Banks, and eating at the Soup-Kitchens find it difficult to come together and organize this Union, plus subsequently organize a rally or other action.

These reasons boil down to the fact that many people have disabilities including invisible disabilities, and/or mental health issues. The Standard Household rate of $950/mo would, of course, worsen or even create mental health issues, and many people admit that having only the Standard Household rate has worsened their mental health issues.

Another reason that is is difficult for people to participate is the fear of being treated with contempt or discriminated against. This stigma – being judged by other who are believers in the myths and stigma about them - discourages people. It all comes down to reasons I talked about in this article, and this article. Those who want to discriminate do not seem to understand that the stigma only worsens people‘s mental health. Many Income assistance recipients talk about the reasons why they will not come forward forward as worrying about “poor bashing”, as I discussed here. Many folks have actually told me that they have been told to “get a job” right to their face. This experience worsens their mental health yet again, and sets up a rationale in their minds for why they should not attend meetings, or try and change things.

It is clear to this writer that if people stop believing in the stigma about us, as in this article, and  stop harassing us when we do come forward about our situation, then more First Voice would be willing to come forward to organize, protest and take action.

So, in Nova Scotia to date, we continue to live with a system where:

• Income Assistance is not enough money to live on.

• Welfare recipients continue to to experience bureaucratic nonsense and systemic problems to access what allowances ARE available through Employment Support and Income Assistance.

• We must not forget that we continue to see an increase in the homeless population.

• And the list goes on...

I have called it a union because labour unions are successful at getting increases in pay for their members,  and protecting people from bureaucratic nonsense unfairness,  and injustice in employment.  We want to accomplish those same goals for those on income assistance, the working poor, or those on other income and allowances that leave them in poverty. 

 

I want to end this by saying that a Union Of People Living In Poverty does not have to be limited to people living on income assistance. We can also include the working poor, those on CPP Disability (CPP Disability is not much more money then income assistance), seniors on very low incomes, and other people living in poverty, for any reason.

The real question is “Who will come forward”, and how do we make it easier and less to be feared?

Cc:

Nova Scotia MLA’s

Halifax Regional Councillors

Local MP’s

Executive Directors of Food Banks and Soup-Kitchens

Unions

The Nova Scotia Basic Income Group

North End Community Health Centre

Halifax-Dartmouth and District Labour Council

And any other party who can help!