Nova
Scotians on income assistance live complicated lives: just the basic tasks of surviving
- housing and feeding oneself, securing health care and getting around are day-to-day
challenges. This complexity is often accompanied by anxiety and depression that
are aggravated by a deep social isolation.
This
social isolation is not just a by-product of poverty: the lack of resources is
a very real constraint to socializing with friends and family or to join in
community activities. Such social isolation and loneliness is also associated
with serious negative physical and mental health consequences.
But sometimes, the income assistance system of this province seems to consciously and purposefully encourage social isolation by providing inadequate financial support for recipients to live full lives in today’s economy. The system even finds ways to block or punish those that try to share homes, lives or costs just to get through the month.
Social
Isolation is Not OK!
In
a recent blog post I illustrated an
example of a couple on Income Assistance being impacted by section 6.1.8 of the
Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) policy.
This
is not a new issue: I wrote extensively about it for the Nova Scotia Advocate, here and here.
Recent
conversations with Income Assistance recipients – my First Voice community - re-inforce
my view that social isolation continues to be a product of ESIA policies.
Clearly
the Government of Nova Scotia does not subscribe to the growing movement for a legally
recognized human right against social deprivation. This is the
belief that beyond basic material needs, all humans share a fundamental need
for minimally adequate opportunities for decent human contact and social
inclusion.
In this framework, the Government should be actively working to REDUCE social isolation instead of putting policies in place that effectively INCREASE social isolation amongst the vulnerable.
The connection between ESIA and social isolation is most evident in:
- The
amount of benefits paid is so inadequate that it does not even cover basic
costs of shelter and food, never mind socializing. As I have discussed elsewhere this only amplifies
the stress and anxiety experienced by ESIA recipients at times of community celebration
such as New Years and Thanksgiving.
- As
mentioned above, a hugely problematic clause of the ESIA policy manual is
Section 6.1.8 which speaks to the issue of Co-habitation. This
clause is used to punish recipients who decide to share a roof and kitchen in
an effort to survive in difficult economic times. As the policy reads “Cohabitation
is determined to exist in these situations even though there may not be a legal
marriage or conjugal relationship” and this means that the benefits paid to
the two individuals may well be cut.
- Even in cases where a “special need” can be made in terms of physical well-being and health, Income Assistance will not generally cover the costs of Fitness Center fees or membership in other types of social groups.
- And as I discussed in this earlier BLOG post, all of these policy constraints are even more challenging for persons living with disabilities, including those “lucky enough” to be DSP clients, as that program also seems to make things difficult for clients hoping to qualify for different programs.
Towards social inclusion and social prescription
Some
of my readers might remember that an ambitious process to transform the Employment
Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) program was launched by a new Liberal
Government 10 years ago. It included a specific reference to addressing the
issue of social inclusion for Income Assistance recipients. I was
involved in some of those conversations as mentioned here.
However,
it appears that few if any related changes were made to ESIA policies over the
years and social inclusion as a program goal got lost in the supposed
transformation process. Then the Liberals were defeated and it does not appear
that this issue has been a concern of the Houston PC Government that followed.
In an effort to address this failing, I have more recently begun to advocate for the Government to adopt a related approach known as “Social Prescription” and the creation of a Social Prescription Organization for Nova Scotia.
The Top Priority:
As
many of my First Voices contacts continue to tell me, the simplest fix to
social isolation amongst ESIA recipients would be to raise the monthly rates
such that they could actually afford to socialize. Many of these friends also tell
me with some irony that it was during the early periods of COVID lockdowns that
Income Assistance recipients could actually afford active social lives due to
the increase in income from the short-lived CERB payments.
One
of my greatest frustrations in terms of public policy is that the Government of
Nova Scotia does not seem to care that its very own income assistance rules and
rates only serve to worsen social isolation in my community. Which in turn creates
multiple issues of mental health and physical well-being for already vulnerable
people.
This
problem needs to be addressed and FIXED!
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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