By Kendall Worth!
In this BLOG, I will share some of my reflections on what I am hearing from people in my community as I discuss the concept of Social Prescribing as one of the many issues I advocate for.
Here is the definition I work with in these conversations: social prescription is an approach to health care and well-being that addresses not only physical health and economic well-being, but SOCIAL factors that impact well-being, such as loneliness and isolation, and the need for personal growth, creativity and community connection.
First things first: everyone I have spoken with on this topic has agreed that living a full life is not possible if you are living on Income Assistance. The current monthly benefit is only $1,005 a month, with 60% of IA recipients receiving the additional disability top-up of $318. And both of these amounts reflect recent increases: for years they were even lower! And many disabled individuals do not receive the disability allowance as they should.
My advocacy for a Social Prescription Organization (SPO) does not deny the fact that poverty is the primary, underlying cause of social isolation. Indeed, when asked about their IMMEDIATE needs, most First Voices in my community will speak first to their lack of income and financial resources.
For this reason, I have written numerous BLOGs making the case for the introduction of a Basic Income program. I have also made the case that there are direct connections between poverty, Basic Income and Social Isolation. Simply stated, once people have their basic economic needs met, they are then able to be more engaged and active in their communities, even if that involves just meeting friends for coffee or going to a fitness center to work out.
Beyond the issue of income, there is the issue of opportunity: This returns me to the notion of “well being” that is central to the definition of social prescribing. In conversations with people in my community, I have been asked whether a commitment to “economic well-being for all” means more than simply increased benefits. To these First Voices a commitment to well-being should include improved access to programs and opportunities, like Career Seek which supports IA recipients to attend University.
I have written previously about the challenges with the Career Seek program and I continue to advocate for much needed changes in that program. For example, not every Income Assistance recipient is a good fit for the university-focus of Career Seek, and the program’s outreach and impact would be greatly enhanced if it was expanded to include those who aspire to study at a community college.
There is always social stigma to be faced: I am always surprised to discover that many of our community’s allies from the better-off sectors of society do not believe that social stigma against the poor and in particular against IA recipients is a serious factor in our lives.
While I do not have data or statistics to support my contention, from my own experiences and conversations with others, it is clear that there is still MAJOR social stigma against people who are IA recipients. This stigma can have a debilitating impact on people’s well being and mental health. I have explored this issue in a number of earlier BLOGs, as well as in articles in the since-folded Nova Scotia Advocate, including here. First Voices tell me that such stigma compels them to withdraw from community life as much as possible and they retreat into social isolation.
Where does this leave us? Clearly, the current amounts received by IA recipients are wholly insufficient for basic day-to-day survival in these inflationary times, let alone leaving anything left over for social activities. As I have pointed out in an earlier BLOG, this drives people on IA into a solitary life. Many then rationalise their isolation and loneliness with a self-diagnosis of being an “introvert” and needing to stay within their “comfort zones”.
This tendency is re-inforced by the lack of opportunities for IA recipients to change their situations (illustrated by the shortcomings of the Career Seek program). And then further re-inforced by the weight of social stigma that they face in the community.
So, why is Social Prescribing an appropriate response? Even as I engage in all these different issues, - promoting a Basic Income approach, advocating for better opportunities and programs, as well as fighting social stigma, - I always come back to the need for a Social Prescription program here in HRM.
From my conversations in Halifax about the Social Prescription approach, my sense is that less than half of people I speak with actually support this idea. The majority either oppose it or have their doubts and many questions. I discussed some of these doubts and questions in a recent BLOG.
From my observation, the opposition to Social Prescription seems strongest amongst those not from our community, people who are financially better-off and who perceive that an SPO would simply be a taxpayer-funded social club. This is why it is important to get First Voices from our community to speak up about the realities of their daily lives, and how social isolation is so detrimental to their mental health, physical health and more.
This reminds me of a conversation I had a few years back with Janice who was co-chair of the local ACORN Chapter at the time. ACORN is a tenants union that fights for affordable housing and tenants rights. As I wrote in a 2021 article, in my interview with Janice, she emphasised how important it is to have First Voices make their case to the media, the public and policy-makers. However, many low-income individuals and Income Assistance recipients are reluctant to come forward because of the social stigma they will face for speaking up about living in poverty.
There is no doubt in my mind that living an isolated day-to-day life without social engagements can have a major impact on the mental health of people. It contributes to a major sense of being separated from others, which can in turn exacerbate mental health issues. Yes, it is possible nowadays to use digital technologies to connect with others. But that type of contact is not the same as face-to-face contact with people.
As Janice brought up in her interview, it takes First Voices who live with and in the system to speak up about what they face. We still need the support and advocacy of friends and allies, as I wrote here in 2023, but we should not expect others to take the lead on the issues that face us, - we need to provide that leadership ourselves!
For example, we can rightfully expect to get support for our work on Income Assistance rates from groups like Halifax Dartmouth & District Labour Council - but their primary focus lies with their membership which is organized labour. We need to speak and organize for ourselves, then reach out to others for support.
This is why I believe that no matter which issue we discuss related to the various anti-poverty struggles faced by my community, - affordable housing, mental healthcare, food security – we always end up speaking to the need for those living on a low income to stand up and speak up.
I do not know how else to get these First Voices to the table, to the media and to the politicians, without passing through some sort of Social Prescription style program that builds individual skills, confidence and networks.
In a BLOG earlier this month, I provided an outline of 4 program elements of what could be the model of Social Prescribing adopted here in Halifax. These were:
1. Peer Support
Beyond Office Hours
2. Workshops on
Friendship Skills & Boundaries
3. Community
Voice & Advocacy
4. Sober Social
Spaces
Clearly, the
details of each of these are 100% debatable. And members of my community are just as
diverse as any other community, so “one-size-fits-all” approaches are rarely helpful.
But the bottom-line is that we need to break the chains of social isolation that impact so many in our community and replace them with bonds of confidence and solidarity.
And I do not know how we can achieve this sort of change without an initiative, program or organization that is based upon principles of Social Prescription and can guide us individually and collectively towards growth, creativity and connection.
Despite the resistance and reluctance, I am not giving up on this!
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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