By Kendall Worth!
On Saturday February 11th 2023 I had the opportunity to spend some time and to catch up with 3 people I have interviewed in the past. Those stories are found here, with Part II here and the third here.
I want to first address the value of peer support which is illustrated in all of the stories above. Daryl and Darlene have gotten to know each other through seeing each other in the QEII emerge. They were waiting hours in emergency just to access some human contact, not because they had a medical problem. A few welfare recipients do resort to this. Today I am happy to report that 6 years has gone by since the last time they both visited the QEII emerge for that reason. As I reported in this story, Daryl and Darlene moved in together, and were within walking distance of another friend, I will call Shirley, who I have also written about in the past, and who I wrote about again here. First – She moved out of Beaver Bank and moved into Bedford. Second – She got accepted into the Career Seek program of the Dept. of Community Services, which allows eligible Income Assistance recipients to continue to receive assistance as they attend university or a post-secondary education program of more than two years. Daryl, Darlene, and Shirley became very good friends, and now all live together.
They got in touch recently after I posted this. They had only recently found my new blog and wanted to wanted to express how sorry they were to hear the news that the Benefits Reform Action Group (BRAG) is no longer in existence. They did not attend meetings but did follow the work of BRAG on Social Media. I told Daryl, Darlene, and Shirley that there was a lot that came into play that brought the group to it’s decision, and all the former members have moved onto other projects.
But the good news I have to report, for all three of them is:
Darlene got a part time job after moving to Bedford, and she is now successfully off of income assistance.
Daryl is now working part-time and supplementing his income from Income assistance. Daryl has also a possibility in the works, that will allow him to attend community college next year He is looking forward to that possibility.
Shirley continues to do well at University and soon she is going to be starting her First work term, thorough her course of study. She is looking forward to it.
The one thing that all 3 of them are happy about, at this point in their lives, is the fact that they have moved on from the days of depending on soup-kitchens for their meals and socializing.
Even though they are doing much better, now, than when I first met them, they are still depending on each other within that group of 3, for friendship. Daryl told me the would like to start making some new friends. Darlene and Shirley are both feeling the same way. Although Shirley does have some friends at Dalhousie, she does not associate with them much outside of seeing them at study groups at school. Shirley told me, in this recent interview about about the Career Seek Program, supporting you through University, you are expected to behave like a mature Student. She said that is why she to only associate with them when I see them in school. All three of them told me that they are getting tried of living life in an inappropriate threesome. Darlene says, at her job, she is in an office by-herself most of the day. There is no opportunity for her to get to know her co-workers because they all work off-site. When I went out to visit them on Saturday to get their updated story, one of the reasons why they were happy to see me is because of having human contact beyond the three of them. They believe what make their friendship special, and increases their comfort level with each other, is because they all know what it like to have lived for years on Income Assistance, and the life that comes with it.
That life included:
When I first interviewed them the Income Assistance rates was $810.00 a month, then in 2020 went up to $850.00 a month, and now $950.00 a month. Until Darlene and Daryl started working they never had money to go out and socialize with people.
All 3 of them lived life at one point where they had to depend on the various Soup Kitchen and Drop-ins for meals, human contact and support.
In their cases, plus many others, having family members or past friends believe in the stigma talked about them, which I have previously written about here, and here.
All three of them are hoping that someday a program to help people make friends (which could be part of a social prescriptions program) will in fact, come into being, because it would help them find new friends and not be completely dependent on each other for all social contact and friendship.
I asked them…So how exactly does day to day life work for you 3?
Their answer?
“Considering that Darlene works during the daytime 9am till 4:30pm and Shirley is at University from morning till night during the weekdays, we pretty much have our space from each other during the weekdays. Having that space apart, does help us out to get along better when we are all together.”
But it is not all good news, there is an issue still hanging over their heads.
Even though Darlene is no longer on Income Assistance, Daryl and Shirley have their required DCS “Annual Review” coming up, and Darlene has been asked to also attend.
In Nova Scotia, when receiving income assistance, attending your annual review is the law.* If you want to maintain that assistance. During COVID restrictions, Annual Reviews were done over the phone and the papers were sent to you in the mail to sign and send back. Now, Annual Reviews are back to in-person. All Income Assistance Recipients feel personally invaded as Income Assistance Caseworker ask stuff about the client that is none of the caseworker’s business. But you must comply in order to continue to receive Income Assistance, in Nova Scotia. For Darlene, Daryl and Shirley they must prove that they are simply rooming together and are not in a romantic relationship.
I wrote about Annual reviews and the issue associated with them, here and especially here. Mentioned above was BRAG which used to fight for an end to Annual reviews. But Community Services has said there will be no end to Annual Reviews.
The structure of the Annual Review is sitting in a room where it feels like an interrogation. The caseworker asks questions and you respond. So the best thing you can do when going to annual review is to take a an advocate or supporter with you. Ihave written about this before The good news is they got 2 professional advocates attending their annual review with them. A lawyer who is connected to Darlene’s work is going with them at no cost. And a representative from Shirley’s Student Union, at Dal, is attending with them. The lawyer and the Student Union Rep are going to have two separate advocacy roles at the Annual Review. Daryl, Darlene, and Shirley have to prove, in front of the IA Caseworker, during the Annual review, that Daryl is not in a relationship with either woman, and they have to swear that they are only living together for financial reasons.
To make sure things remain calm, cool, and collected when that question gets asked, the lawyer is going to have a prepared statement ready explaining Daryl is not in a relationship with either of these women. Daryl, Darlene, and Shirley will be signing this document in front of the caseworker, for her file. The Caseworker says Darlene is required to attend as a witness for this. The Dal Student Union Representative is going to advocate to make sure that the meeting is not going to result in Shirley losing her place in the Career Seek Program.
As I have pointed out in past, attended the required Annual Review can sometimes result in negative decisions being made, about someone’s income assistance, or even suspension of assistance. With the advocates along, this will, we hope, go well.
Lets all hope for the best!
Conducting the Annual Review
Recipients are required to participate in a comprehensive annual review to assess ongoing eligibility for ESIA and ensure appropriate supports are being provided. At the meeting, documentation and forms including, but not limited to, those outlined in Policy 5.1.3 –Required Documentation - will be reviewedand/or completed. Assistance is discontinued when a recipient and/or student family member refuses toparticipate in the annual review and/or provide the required documentation. In addition to the Annual Review, recipients are required to report any changes in their circumstances as they occur.
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