By Kendall Worth
To begin, Bear-ley, my interview subject, this week, chose this name because he loves looking at pictures of bears and he felt that adding the ley this would make his fake name sound more human. Bear-ley approached me to tell his story to ease the frustration he experiences in his day to day life. Many income assistance recipients share his frustration.
Bear-ley lives this frustration on many fronts, relating to several issues I regularly cover. One of the issues that I occasionally report on through my BLOG is Inappropriate Body Language During our recent interview, he told me, that he over the years, he has had major issues with private security and police, and been spoken to for staring at people, and because his so called “fidgety behaviour” makes others feel uncomfortable.
Bear-ley believes that something needs to change in regard to the Mental Health Mobile Crises Unit . In his opinion, it needs to be a service that has more hired staff. Them Bearl-ley aslo suggests that private security guards (and probably the police!) need know and use that number. This article provides the bigger picture on the behaviours income assistance recipients get accused of.
Bear-ley had a suggestion for an addition to this blog post, where I talk about how our MLA’s can play a part in fixing the problem. The problem is that security guards think they are professional psychiatrists and can diagnose mental illness. Bear-ley suggests MLA’s need to introduce legislation that would require that require security guards to call the Mental Health Mobile Crises Unit when they get this type of mental health complainants, coming from members of the public, in public places.
Bear-ley gets the $1022.00 Standard Household Rate Plus $307.50 rental subsidy and the $40.00 telephone allowance. All of that = $1369.50. He pays $1025 for rent. So subtracting $1025 from $1369.50 = $344.50 then $40.00 goes directly onto his phone, so subtract $40.00 from $344.50 that = him having $304.50 left over for groceries, and personal hygiene products. One of the problems Bear-ley faces is in trying to qualify for special Diet Allowances, and the $324.00 Disability Supplement is front desk staff at his medical clinic only BOOK him in once every 2 to 3 months, due to the medical clinic being short staffed. Then when he can get an appointment with his Doctor, there is only 15 minutes of time allotted. His doctor will not complete the forms as he says that the 15 minutes is not enough time for filling out the paperwork for community services or the Disability Tax Credit. His doctor does write the medical note for the telephone once a year, because it is perceived as a “quick task”. When he talks to his doctor about getting referral to a psychiatrists, psychologist his doctor advises him their is a 2 year waiting list for these specialist. So he cannot get the required paperwork filled out, in porder to qualify for subsidy.
Bear-ley also revealed that he has had ADD, and OCD since he was a kid. Bear-ley says it getting harder and harder to get appointments to see his doctor these days. This did not surprise me, because it getting a lot more difficult to get a doctor’s appointment for almost everyone these days.
Bear-ley does go to Souls Harbour and Hope Cottage regularlyfrom the Middle to the end of every month. Bear-ley wishes he could like a better life, but he feels like he is at a dead end.
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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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