I have a couple of Cape Breton friends I’m really worried about. They live in poverty on social assistance and I don’t know how they do it … I know I couldn’t survive on their combined household income.
How does anybody do it?
The answer: few really do it well.
It’s literally day-to-day survival. Every single nickel is thought about. Should it go towards milk — or is toilet paper more important right now? A parent might wonder: can our boy go just a little longer with his old shoes that he’s grown out of? Should my daughter stay home from school tomorrow so she won’t be embarrassed about not having anything to give to the fundraiser?
Imagine having a life where you can’t pay the rent, so you’re forced to move every three months. You move with nothing but what you can carry. It’s a cycle that plays itself over time and time again. And so, you have nothing pretty or new, because it’s a burden. But it doesn’t stop you from yearning for simple things that it seems the entire rest of the world possesses.
And the worst thing is — there are those who blame the poor for where they are in life. Yet, it’s much more a problem of circumstance. And once a person has had to reach out for help, they find it an insuperable (impossible to overcome) problem that traps them for years.
Before Christmas, I asked my friends if they would like anything special for Christmas. Their answer was heartbreakingly simple: did I have any pictures for their walls to brighten up the place. And they weren't asking for new pictures. They wanted to know if I had any old ones at home I wasn’t using.
Humility often goes hand-in-hand with poverty.
Poverty is not just of the material kind. There is also a poverty of the heart and soul. People with black hearts and judgmental attitudes (such as I am displaying now), choose to ignore the fact that our social assistance system is not adequate and actually contributes to the ills of society.
Rules about how much income a person can make over and above the government subsidy, crush any sense of self-sustenance that a person might have. A person on social assistance is discouraged from using a talent such as sewing or cooking or woodworking or crafting — because if they sell too much, they can be fined in court, and definitely the money will be taken back from their assistance cheques.
Yes — we are fortunate to live in a country that has government assistance for the unemployed, the physically and mentally ill, the victims of abuse and all those who need a helping hand. But it isn’t enough. And instead of putting the blame on our social and political systems — too many want to blame the recipients.
People are desperate. So desperate that they have to live in run-down buildings where stairwells have come apart from the walls; mice are everywhere; and the place hasn’t had a coat of paint in years. Appliances are old, noisy and rust-ridden. Some folks live in mould-ridden wooden structures.
In the case of my friends, they live in a house where there is only one electrical outlet in the entire kitchen. And so, it is a constant case of time and space management just to cook a meal or have a coffee. But then, because they have to pay the power bill on top of rent, they try not to use the stove — or even lights.
And television? Forget it.
There are no doors on their rooms to provide privacy or heat control. For four tiny rooms and a bathroom, they pay $1,200/month. Mould, mice, dirty walls and all included.
Fortunately, in their case, like the proverbial “big brother,” the government pays their rent before they get what’s left of their assistance. At least they don’t have to make the choice between rent or food, for example … it has been made for them. So, they will always be housed if they can keep coming up with the utilities money.
On Jan. 1, their income would have gone up by a few dollars. I understand it might be as much as $40-60/month. That’s good — because that’s almost what they pay for power (more to that story I won’t get into).
However, that good news is tempered by the economic prediction that households in Nova Scotia will pay $500 more for groceries in 2020. That comes to an average of about $42/month. And so, the poor can’t win this year.
And yes, my friends can get one meal a day at Loaves and Fishes. One meal a day. Thank God for that place. Otherwise, some people would be going hungry every day.
Meanwhile, there are many angels among us on this island who devote their time and compassion in so many endeavours to others who are suffering in all kinds of ways. You — those who volunteer and work at non-profits — are saving lives every day. You are comforting the comfort-less.
You, who are social workers, and employment and housing counsellors working for the government, are also saving lives. And you do it day-in and day-out within the restrictions set upon you by your government employers and their economic constraints.
So, thank you folks who care. You are special as you continue to do the important work of being “the person” others can call on in their times of trouble. You make a difference in this community.
May 2020 find more of us out in the world comforting, caring, sharing and getting to know those in need.
You give me hope that the problem of poverty is not totally an insuperable one to battle.
Rosemary Godin is a retired clergy and print journalist. She lives with hubby and Chuck (the dog) in Westmount where she learns a new word every day – and some are repeatable. You can reach her at: [email protected].
