By Kendall Worth!
I recently interviewed a group of people including some Income Assistance recipients. We talked about the reasons why many who are on Income Assistance, in Nova Scotia, complain about living in social isolation. Of course having next to nothing or nothing at all left after rent and bills are paid, is one reason. The $950 allowance from the N.S. Employment Support and Income Assistance program is the evidence for poverty that speaks for itself. Living a socially isolated life, is, however, not limited to money issues. For more of my writing on being an Income Assistance recipient, in Nova Scotia, and social isolation see these posts, where I don’t just talk about the causes of social isolation but also propose solutions.
For more on why Income Assistance recipients experiences are encouraged to live socially isolated lives and some solutions, see this post, &/or this one, and, for info on a current project – All Together Link - tackling this issue see this post.
According to a few people, I met with on December 21st, just before I took a break for the holidays, the answer is very different. According to those I interviewed for this current post, the answer is easier access to the Career Seek program of the Dept of Community Services. A good idea would also be partnering with Halifax Humanities.
But First (before I continue about Career Seek),the following is exactly what the folks I interviewed had to say:
They started off by suggesting that they were not judging people, but, they did make assumptions. They do not understand why people have high anxiety or trouble making friends, and suggested that people who could not make friends were being childish and should “grow up”. They did not seem to understand the difficulties of being friendless, and suffering from mental health issues, anxiety and stigma. They say that their opinion was based on articles I wrote including: here, here, where a welfare recipient talks of their anxiety and cancelling plans, and here, where I interview someone who in addition to financial constraints has no friends with whom to attend wing night. Then they said to me “Kendall, maybe our opinion does not apply to every case of people on income assistance but reading posts like these, makes us believe that they just have no interest in wanting to behave like adults. Complaining about their lack of socializing, we believe, adds fuel to the fire of these thoughts.”
My response:
I told them that they need to understand that the community of people I advocate for is constantly dealing with bureaucratic nonsense and systemic problems within the Department of Community Services. That, in itself, can be very trying, even traumatizing, for Income Assistance recipients. In many cases these issues are what cause the social anxiety for Income Assistance (IA) recipients. In addition there is the stigma that people believe in about IA Recipients. To educate themselves I invited them to read this. and this. In this article you will find that some have experienced direct harassment from people who believe in the stigma about them. Then I invited them to read this article to educate them on why it is wrong to stigmatize Income Assistance recipients. It also explains that telling an income assistance right to their face, to get a job, only hurts the Income Assistance recipient's mental health even more. Those who believe in stigma have got to smarten up.
So, I warned them, that, “if
you are asking me to tell income assistance recipients through my
BLOG to get themselves back in school or get a job
I will not be posting this piece. “
Now, getting back to why the folks I interviewed for this post thought Career Seek, and a partnership with Halifax Humanities, was a better alternative for those with social isolation.
This group convinced me that they were not stigmatizing, just misunderstanding, and so I have continued to write this current blog post. For people who do not lead socially isolated lives, and/or who have family and community connections, and who are able to be proactive in a variety of ways… maybe, for them, the Career Seek program is the answer.
Currently the Career Seek program is very difficult to access and few qualify, but even if made easier to access – not sure it is a cure for social isolation. … However, from my personal conversations right back to my days at the NS Advocate, I have indeed seen many income assistance recipients have real issues in taking responsibility for improving their lives, but, so do an equal number of folks who are NOT on income assistance. So, what comes to mind is the smaller percentage of (by my estimation, roughly 20% or 30% of people who are in this situation) do have the ability to take responsibility, make decisions that will be advantageous to their lives and future, and move off of ESIA.
However, we also here have to consider a wide range of ages and situations when it comes to looking at the Income Assistance community. Remember the Career Seek program and the Halifax Humanities program are intended for those who want to go back to University. Not a useful idea for those who have learning disabilities or developmental issues. But for that 20-30% I mentioned who have supports and motivation, it could work.
If you visit university campuses, there are lots of socializing opportunities taking place. However when you factor in all financial factors, this idea is very expensive.
Taking a moment here to pretend that you find 100 Income Assistance recipients, and can pay their tuition, supplies (books etc.) meal plan and accommodation. Even without an exact calculation the range of expense would be from 2-5 – 5 million dollars. Paying this amount of money for Income Assistance recipients to have an opportunity to socialize? Nope... the government is not going to fund this, and a not-for-profit certainly cannot afford this type of money. Running the current All Together Link project and many other ideas are much cheaper!
And something-else we have to look at, regarding this idea of easier access to the Career Seek Program, is Income Assistance recipients are in their 30’s and 40’s. Is it ideal for them to be put into a situation where they socialize with students who are 18 – early twenties?? Hum! Of course the income assistance recipient who is put in this situation, may find there is an advantage to their mental health by doing so. However there is the side that some younger students may not feel comfortable socializing with older students.
May sound like a wonderful opportunity for those who have the ability, and drive, but not for every income Assistance recipient out there.
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Kendall Worth is an award-winning anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet on income assistance.
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