My Week on Welfare

5 days ago

"Income assistance definitely came up almost immediately in neighborhoods where incomes traditionally are lower. If people were on assistance they would tell me right away how they can’t make ends meet.

People would complain about the shelter allowance, which is ridiculously low. People would tell me how difficult it was, and almost always people would be forced to use their food money to pay their rent.

Many people mentioned the lack of bus passes, that was lifeline to connecting with the community and now they don’t have that anymore. The other issue was the need to raise the rates. In certain areas that was all people talked about." ...

My Week on Welfare

7 days ago

"In a nutshell we poverty advocates have seen the following:

The income assistance rates have been frozen for three out of four years, with only a $20.00 increase in one year. This hardly makes a dent in our extremely low budgets.
Income assistance clients losing their special needs allowances left and right.
Income assistance clients coming out of their annual reviews with cuts to their allowances.
Caseworkers acting aggressively to get clients to come in for their annual reviews.
Caseworkers deciding not to accept doctors notes for special diets etc. at face value, and further questioning doctors’ recommendations.
Affordable housing defined according to big wig landlords, but not being affordable for poor people.
Persons with disabilities whose situations are unlikely to ever change getting treated by the ESIA system unfairly.

Now with you being the Minister of Community Services you are in a position to make changes."

nsadvocate.org/2017/06/21/kendall-worth-an-open-letter-to-kelly-regan-the-new-minister-of-communi... ...

My Week on Welfare

2 weeks ago

"Nine governments, and not a single one that made an effort to turn things around." ...