Yet another sitting of the Nova Scotia Legislature went by, and once again community is left in darkness!

 By Kendall Worth!

 

 

In front of Province House prior to the start of the 2023 Fall sitting of the N.S. Legislature. Note: they ignored my "hints". 

The Nova Scotia Legislature sat from from October 12^th 2023 till November 9^th 2023 and during this time, people on Income Assistance, who are part of the community I advocate for, kept their fingers crossed that this would be the time that Premier Tim Houston would make the next annnouncement about ESIA Transformation. For my opinion about what they should focus on, see this blog post from the beginning of the fall sitting. See this BLOG post for an open letter I wrote to the Minster of Community Services just before October sitting began. The community I advocate for just sees their anxiety increasing since this Tim Houston, PC Government, got elected in 2021. They are also feeling like Ian Rankin, the liberal leader, should have stayed in power longer, because, at least under the Liberals, the Community saw a glimmer of hope. After all he was the one who raised the Income Assistance Rates/The standard Household Rate from $850.00 to $950.00 a month.

Anyway, during this past sitting of the Nova Scotia Provincial Legislature, lots of questions were asked by opposition MLA’s about the increasing homeless population in Nova Scotia; and questions did get asked about what the government is planning to do about housing. (more specifically asking what the Government is planning to do to make “Affordable and Accessible” housing available) I guess you could say that questions by Opposition MLA’s is a step in the right direction. However, government MLA’s and Ministers have tended to answer these questions about housing by beating around the bush. The government does talk about creating an increase in the housing stock. However, the way the community see this, the government themselves needs to see the difference, and currently do not seem to, between general housing and more specifically affordable housing. I guess you could say, what is clear at this point, is there is no Immediate solution in place, and this winter we are going to once again have a very large number of people sleeping in tents.

Now another question the community of people I advocate for have been asking themselves, since the sitting of the legislature wrapped up on November 9^th 2023: Do we now have no choice, but, to have to come to terms with the fact that ESIA Transformation has been halted?

My blog has been picking up readership as I explained here, where I also explain what my blog is about. Anyway, I want to, at this point, give all of you all an understanding of what ESIA Transformation is about and why I have been reporting on this topic on my BLOG, since it started. A variety of BLOG posts outlined here, provide the principle reasons why reporting on this topic has been important to me and the people I advocate for, for years. I also feel it is important for you to note, that this Transformation has been called for since the previous Liberal government was elected in 2013. Since then and up until the passing of the editor Robert Devet, I wrote regularly about the topic in the NS Advocate, where you can still see my reporting.

Anyway, the paragraph above is especially for anyone who is new to reading my BLOG. Now to get into the latest on how the community I advocate for is feeling about their being no updates on ESIA transformation.

Since this current PC, Tim Houston government was elected in 2021, a total of 6 sittings of the Nova Scotia Legislature have come and gone. Department of Community Services officials still suggest, to clients of the Employment Support and Income Assistance Program, that an Income Assistance Transformation is still happening. As a matter of fact in this BLOG post here I include content that gave the Community of Income Assistance Recipients hope that new announcements would be made public, soon. That was a year ago. More than ever, Income Assistance recipients are losing hope that any actual transformation is still happening. Since the election of the Tim Houston, P.C. government, the Income Assistance rates in Nova Scotia have stayed frozen at $950.00; less for those classified as un-housed or employable. People on Income Assistance continue to struggle. In addition, Annual Reviews have never been halted, which the (now defunct) Benefits Reform Action Group (BRAG) (link for those who want to know more about BRAG) lobbied for and which I wrote about here. . .During its existence BRAG advocated for Annual Reviews to come to an end. The Community is now saying transformation is no longer happening. We are going to have to accept that Employment Support and Income Assistance in Nova Scotia, will continue to insist that, once per year, an Income Assistance Caseworker will ask questions about us; questions that are none of their business… in order for us to continue to receive Income Assistance.

Although I have lobbied them, since the election of Tim Houston, I have not been able to get an opposition MLA to ask a question directly about this. I want them to ask: When is the Minister going to give an update on the ESIA transformation? According to my contacts in the Nova Scotia NDP, one reason why this question is not being brought up during question period, might be because the caucus researchers note that ESIA Transformation is not a government priority, nor even on their agenda, these days. Maybe things work the same way in the NS Liberal caucus.

The community feels that in the past 12 months the government could have at least increased Income Assistance rates to help out with inflation. This did not happen during either spring or fall sitting. What is also disappointing these days is how the homeless population is becoming more and more visible to the public eye. This, according to the community of people I advocate for, should be an eye opener for the government. Some are saying that while the Liberals were still in power we saw some ESIA transformation and if the PCs had continued with it, perhaps, we would see fewer homeless people than the ever increasing numbers, we are currently seeing. Some are complaining that it is the end of BRAG and no one to lobby that causes them to ignore it, but what can I, as an individual, do, when the shut down of this group was a group decision? 

 

 

So, I am going to wrap this BLOG post up by saying the following:

I hope this Tim Houston government is happy that Income Assistance recipients in Nova Scotia continues to live in a system:

• Where Income Assistance Caseworkers workers are abusive and intrusive toward clients, especially those who need help the most;

• Is full of bureaucratic nonsense and systemic problems with trying to qualify for what support is available;

• tThat promotes living life in social isolation and think it is OK;

• That causes ESIA clients to develop depression and anxiety while receiving income assistance;

• That provides insufficient money to live on, considering that $950.00 remains the Standard House Hold Rate.

• That requires caseworkers to know too much personal information about you during mandatory annual reviews. You must attend an annual review and open your life up to judgment in order to continue receiving Income Assistance year after year.

On last and final note in this BLOG… For an example of the harmful and judgmental way that recipients are treated, see the two part blog post here and here demonstrating how the Employment Support and Income Assistance program in Nova Scotia makes people live the way they are expected to live.

Lets hope, moving forward, that this Tim Houston, PC, government smartens up and takes Income Assistance transformation seriously.