Some Suggest... Things are not always as they Seem! Part I

By Kendall Worth!

Recently, I have been writing about social prescriptions and the need to increase the possibilities for social activities for low income people. The people I advocate for 100% agree on the need for such a program, but many better off folk want to argue with me about it. These arguments suggest that Halifax does not need this program. Others suggest that it is needed but rather than being available to all it should be limited to welfare recipients and those living in poverty.

If you, my readers, have ever experienced what it is like living life with no friends to socialize with, I want you to ask yourself this question. Do you ever see, for example, groups of friends sitting having coffee at Scotia Square Food Court in the mornings? Do you ever wonder if those friendships are healthy or not? You will understand why I ask those questions as you continue to read this article. You are going to see lot of examples of why I ask this as you read through this article. A program to increase people’s social activity as part of a larger social prescribing program could offer one solution. There are many questions about what might work to dispel all the loneliness. So, at the end of this article, you will see I interviewed 4 different welfare recipients about what type of socializing they are interested in.

I have written on the Subject of the Combination of Social Prescribing and the need for a Social Prescription organization, where I raised the idea for getting a group together, to visit the various places where people living in poverty assemble, to ask them “what other socializing are you interested in, besides talking to the people standing in line with you at the Food-Banks, or sharing a meal at a soup kitchen?”

Asking this question, I have received a wide range of responses. A social prescribing program cannot be limited to just social contact (would also have to include all the determinants of health) but it is a place to start. Some are also suggesting that beneficiaries from a social program should not be limited to persons with disabilities living in poverty. Including better off folks would have to have some way to make sure they did not act to discriminate or belittle people on s=income assistance who often worry about that “stigma”.

I want to end this story by talking about how over these past few weeks I have had the opportunity to interview 4 different welfare recipients who are interested accessing organized social activity if it ever becomes available in Halifax. I got to ask them the question So what other social activities are you interested in, if there was no cost and there was a group to join?

I have assigned names to each respondent – for reasons of confidentiality related to their stores, these are not their real names.

Shauna says that she rents a 2 bedroom for $900 a month with power and heat included. She is able to afford rent with the help of a rent subsidy. Shauna likes making Crafts. However it is a hobby she is often not able to do because of the cost of craft supplies. It is also lonely and would be much more fun in a group. Shauna would be interested in forming a group who she can invite over to her apartment a couple of times a week, and have a group of friends with whom she can craft. Shauna also told me that maybe one Saturday a month she would be interested in wanting to invite friends to her place for a Baking Day. She also would love to turn her second bedroom into a Craft Room for her and those new Friends she is looking to make!

Nate lives in a one bedroom apartment where he pays rent of $750.00 a month. Like many welfare recipients he is receiving the standard house hold disability rate of $950.00 a month which means he only has $200 a month to pay his power bill, groceries, etc. Asked about what activities he would like for socializing...he says he would be interested in inviting friends over to his apartment to watch a Game - hockey, foot ball or maybe a Wrestling match, if he could afford cable and had a group of friends to invite especially on a Friday or Saturday night. During hockey season he would also love to attend Moosehead games if he could afford tickets. Nate and I agreed that inviting friend over to each others home to watch the game is an area of socializing that the financially better off community takes for granted.

Sasha and Mike did not want to provide information about what they pay for rent or bills. They receive the $950.00 standard Household Rate, and after rent is paid there is next to nothing left to live on. Unlike Shauna and Nate, Shasha and Mike describe themselves as 2 of the lucky few welfare recipients, who have good relationships with their families, and they spent Christmas with family, this year, for the first time since COVID.

Sasha and Mike revealed that in the past, at Christmas, they received gift cards to Cineplex Movie Theatres. The cards are 2-3 years old, but they are still good. They want to use to use them, but they want to have a group of friends along to go see a movie.

All four people I interviewed agreed that doing social activities by themselves is no fun. I told them all that I am in talks with a few people about the possibility of setting up a social prescribing program in Halifax – making social activity something you could be prescribed. One of the goals of this program will be to help you find a group of friends for you to socialize with, and to help offset the cost of getting out and socializing.

I did let all of them know that I hope this program gets up and running!