By Kendall Worth!
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| That's what we need! |
Many of you may remember my post Dated January 1st 2024. which raises the big question, What do persons living in poverty do, while things are getting worse, to live day-to-day life and feel less socially isolated?
In Nova Scotia, Income Assistance recipients eternally wait for welfare rates to increase to an amount that people can actually live on, while many in Nova Scotia, and across Canada, are patiently waiting for affordable and safe housing to become available, and, as I pointed out here, while all Canadians including Nova Scotians with disabilities, are endlessly waiting for the Canadian Disability Benefit to become available. However, as reported in this post, there is a bit of hope coming. As of April 1, 2024, the NS government, have announced a $300 /mo increase but only for approx 60% of Income Assistance recipients. The Government is saying that this will be automatic for those who qualify, There are concerns however, that, because of the way our system is administered here in Nova Scotia some people, in individual cases, may receive a decision that they do not qualify. For more, on the mis-used authority of Income Assistance case workers, see this post for one example. For more on why there is good reason for persons with disabilities to be concerned, see a whole set of articles in the now folded NS Advocate. Not a lot has changed about the system, since those articles were published.
Since Part#1 about the dream of a foundation was posted, I have realized that really the foundation is impossible – essentially a metaphor for “what if we could access the money we need?” Since Part I, I have learned that more and more Nova Scotians are struggling to pay their power bills. I have also learned about some recent threats made to Income Assistance, and others on low income, for power disconnection. I have also learned that this year, people who are struggling with their power bills, and who have applied to the Salvation Army last year, cannot apply again this year. Before COVID, people were only able to apply to this fund once every 2 years. Then it was every year. Now, 2024, it has been changed back to every two years. And by the way I want to be clear this is not the HARP program I am talking about. It is this program. In the year 2023 it provided $1000. These are 2 different programs! So, for those who are not going to be able to afford to pay their power bills without the help of this heat fund, where is money going to come from for them to pay their power bills?
If you were to look at the Helping the Homeless in Nova Scotia Facebook Page you will see that there is more and more pressure put on the community, and community organizations and charities, to provide help to those in need, while the government just remains on stand-by, doing nothing. Other examples of Community pressure are shown on the Gated Community Facebook page.
However if money could come from somewhere to solve issues for people living in poverty, there would be no need for all this pressure being forced onto the community.
Instead:
The current homeless population in Nova Scotia would be a lot less visible because more affordable housing, means fewer homeless people.
People where housed or homeless, would be able to take care of and improve their heath.
The long lines at food-banks and soup-kitchens would be a lot shorter, which would also mean a lot less pressure put on volunteers and staff.
Overall, people would have more freedom to make choices for themselves.
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| Money is tight & everything costs more! |
In addition to all of this, I have also been hearing stories about kids getting turned away from public schools because they are living with their families in tents, and living in their cars. I even learned about one specific story where the kids one day got called down to the office, and told by the school ,that they could no longer attend, as they had no local address, and were sent home. The reason they were given is that a car is not a fixed address. According to sources I have talked to, families with children who are living in tents, have been denied the right to send their kids to pubic schools because a tent in a homeless encampment or a car cannot be entered into the database kept by the education system.
With the existence of the foundation I am proposing, money could come from the foundation to hire tutors if the schools will not admit them. After all it is not the parents fault that their kids cannot live at a fixed address these days.
Then I got more to thinking about this post. Although I do not agree with the solution proposed, I have been thinking about it. If you look at this post from July 29th, 2023 you will see that both posts reveal the concern that there are Income Assistance recipients who have talent that ends up going to waste, because they have very limited resources -- within that living allowance of $950.00 a month!! With the existence of a pot of money, people could access funds to pursue hidden talents.
There is no foundation, the government is not stepping up, so, what is the answer, these days?
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