How to make sure that ‘Opportunity Knocks’ in the new Dept. of Opportunities and Social Development?

 

By Kendall Worth!

The word “opportunity” has a positive and encouraging tone. The dictionary defines “opportunity” as a set of circumstances with the prospect of a positive outcome. Unfortunately, opportunity is in very short supply amongst the people in my community, which comprises a mix of Income Assistance Recipients, Persons with Disabilities, people leaving in poverty, and those living in precarious housing or already homeless.  

The decision by Premier Houston to rename of the Department of Community Services to the Dept of Opportunities and Social Development was presumably intended to suggest a new way of working, changes in programs or policies that would change the circumstances for my community with the prospect of a positive outcome. 

But this change of name was not accompanied by a change plan. This is different from the previous McNeil Govt which kept the departmental name, but actually put forward a transformation plan that was – as I have written about in earlier articles – elaborated but then not implemented.  

So, there are many questions about what this latest name change actually signifies. I laid out some of these questions in a BLOG earlier this month in the form of a letter to the new Minister. Just last week I addressed in a BLOG the concern that “opportunities” for Income Assistance recipients might be interpreted as being primarily about employment opportunities, - so I raised questions about issues and shortcomings related to the Career Seek Program.  

Today, I will address the broader set of opportunities that seem to be in short supply these days in my community. The issues with various DCS programs have been well documented in my BLOG and beyond. For example, I have provided critiques of the Disability Support Program (DSP) - and suggestions for its improvement – for years. See these BLOGS, here and here for details. 

Similarly, I have addressed issues related to affordable housing and proposed solutions as recently as this BLOG, earlier this month. Clearly, the Government’s focus on private sector solutions is providing developers with an "opportunity" – to make record profits! 

But to provide opportunities for working families and IA recipients to have a secure and affordable roof over their heads will take much greater public investment in Not For Profit Housing.  (I will explore this topic further in an upcoming BLOG.) Given that the Houston Government has actually disappeared the Dept of Housing in the middle of a housing crises, it makes you wonder whether their commitment to “opportunities” extends to people in my community.  

Regular readers will know the importance I place upon people having the opportunity for a healthy, active and engaged social life. I see this as hugely important for people’s mental health and well-being, and have been advocating for several years in articles and BLOGS for the establishment of a Social Prescribing Organization or program to be established in Halifax to address this need.  The provision of drop-in centres at soup kitchens and food banks is just not adequate for people to become truly socially integrated and active, when their poverty or disabilities constantly push them to the margins of society. 

Clearly, addressing social isolation should fall within our understanding of “opportunities” – the opportunity to connect and engage with others in safe and welcoming spaces. But to date, we have seen no action from the new Department of Opportunities and Social Development to address this basic human need.

This is despite the fact that mental health specialists agree that people benefit from a structure in their lives that gets them out of bed and into spaces with other people. For ordinary members of the community, such structure is often provided by a job. But many in my community, - the great majority in my experience, are unable to work full-time due to their various disabilities and issues. 

Innovative opportunities for socializing, including part-time or voluntary work can make an important contribution to people’s health and well-being – and would be an important component of a social prescribing program. As I wrote years back in an article, such a program could be the product of a partnership between the private sector, government agencies and the not for profit sector. 

The simple fact is that there are MANY old programs within the “new” Department that require review and significant reform, if we want these programs to truly create opportunities, - to create the circumstances in which people in my community can improve their lives. For some benefits programs, it may be sufficient to simply increase the rates paid to a level that is more in keeping with inflation and the cost of living. In other cases, the criteria or processes for accessing a program may be the major obstacle that has to be addressed. 

But for many other programs, they need a wholesale review and reform such that they do create OPPORTUNITIES rather than constrain, marginalize and exclude people. This is particularly true of programs and services directed at Nova Scotians living with disabilities. Indeed, I recently enumerated in a BLOG the long list of programs and services under the Disability Support Program that require review and significant reform. 

In closing, I want to acknowledge two important points: 

1. Firstly, I do recognize that it is not the responsibility of ONLY Government to address these issues. Clients, community members, not for profits and the private sector ALL have a role to play in generating solutions. But surely the Gov’t should provide the leadership in bringing these groups together.

2. Secondly, I do not believe that “one size fits all” in terms of services and programs for people living in poverty.  We need programs that recognize diverse needs, are sufficiently flexible to accommodate those needs, and have the professional staff who can manage those conversations and processes.

I have written about these issues before and believe now,  as I wrote then, that a key part of developing effective programs and services is to engage in the design process those people who actually use a program. We need much better mechanisms for securing community input into the design, development and reform processes. 

So, perhaps this should be the first “opportunity” to be addressed by the new Department of Opportunities?  - the Minister should seize the opportunity to hear from our community!  

In the meantime, I continue to work on my “sales pitch” for the establishment of a Social Prescribing Organization in Halifax.  This will be shared in an upcoming blog, and will focus on bringing together communities to address social isolation. I look forward to sharing it with you readers, - as well the opportunity to share it with the leadership of our new "Dept of Opportunities". 

Kendall Worth is an award-winning anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet on income assistance.