People’s Blueprint
The P.B.P. (People’s Blueprint Panel) is a group of twenty people “dependent” on some form of social assistance for a myriad of circumstance and experience from all over Ontario. They have been chosen to be the voice of their respective communities and to develop a blueprint for Social Assistance reform for the upcoming Review in Ontario.
Peacock looks forward to introducing you to them, and invites you to join the conversation, “have your say your way”.
The PBP’s work will include research and “community”* consultation.
This page, as we believe of the PBP at the end of its work, will also be the voice of people who have direct experience with social assistance and/or poverty: autonomous, authentic, personal. Peacock is proud to tell the story as we make history.
E-mail peacockpoverty@yahoo.ca and/ or register to include your voice
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“Filming The People’s Blueprint” pt. 1
May 2010
c.smith
“The importance, power, and logic of peer-everything needs to be brought to the fore of mainstream consciousness.” Laura Pesantez
Teisha, Mark and Mike Creek
It has been an extraordinary opportunity for Peacock to be invited to this table with a group of some twenty people from all over Ontario who share their experience on Social Assistance through a myriad of lenses and who aim to provide a People’s Blueprint for Social Assistance Reform through research in their respective communities.
As they with lived experience of poverty research others with lived experience, so too does Peacock Poverty- with lived experience- report, research and learn of the Panels’ work through the process and fruition of their labor. This is historic, remarkable, and hopefully a sign of the times.
These twenty people are bright, talented, creative, energetic, and productive, as “we” are, and yet are left to languish in their respective “cells”. Until now.
“By the people, for the people”, they study community-based research learning how to gather information without bias, collecting data from us to study and formulate ideas and suggestions for change, for us and for the community at large.
Together, they have managed to break free and find the common ground where solutions might actually be found. This is a place of hope and joy, of tears and laughter, of challenge and accomplishment, and of community.
It has been an enlightening and inspiring journey thus far. The group sizzles with imagination, with compassion and understanding, and with a willingness and desire to help each other that is overwhelming.
There is no black and white here, no one size fits all, yet common themes emerge. We with lived experience can all guess what they might be: stigma, barriers, want, frustration, isolation, housing and food are just the tip of the iceberg as these folks dig deep to discover what might actually transform individual lives and therefore our communities at large.
One can only hope their hard work does not go unnoticed or duly noted, that this is not just another example of “lip-service” and that this Liberal government (McGuinty 2010) will not renege again (eg. Special Diet Cut) and hold to its promise of a Review that actually results in the positive change that we who believe know is possible for now and for the next generation to come.
Peacock would like to thank the Panel’s facilitators and members for opening its doors and allowing us to bring to you The People’s Panel:
The P.B.P. (People’s Blueprint Panel) is a group of twenty people “dependent” on some form of social assistance for a myriad of circumstance and experience from all over Ontario. They have been chosen to be the voice of their respective communities and to develop a blueprint for Social Assistance reform for the upcoming Review in Ontario.
Peacock looks forward to introducing you to them, and invites you to join the conversation, “have your say your way”.
The PBP’s work will include research and “community”* consultation.
This page, as we believe of the PBP at the end of its work, will also be the voice of people who have direct experience with social assistance and/or poverty: autonomous, authentic, personal. Peacock is proud to tell the story as we make history.
E-mail peacockpoverty@yahoo.ca and/ or register to include your voice
Peacock Papers March 1st
The Peacock Papers: March 2010
“Lunch with The People’s Blueprint”
We are proud to bring you the story of the People’s Blueprint for Social Assistance Review in Ontario from a Grassroots and “on the ground” perspective because that is what the Panel is and intends to be: outside of agency agenda or scripting, our voices, our Blueprint.
Lunch with The People recently was industrious- just like the people, full of passion and desirous of change. The atmosphere was hopeful, uplifting and buzzing with work. Peacock hopes to interview the rest of the panel in the coming weeks and looks forward to meeting again as the research phase begins and as this project unfolds. May this work result in change that rewards us all. May real change occur.
Background: (courtesy Daily Bread Food Bank)
The People’s Blueprint for Social Assistance Review is a Recipient-Led Review enabled by a partnership between Voices from the Street and the Daily Bread Food Bank.
- Voices from the Street – Pat Capponi, Michael Creek
Engaging people with lived experience in poverty and nurturing them into activism and leadership
- Daily Bread Food Bank – Michael Oliphant, Richard Matern
Experience using community based research to make change in public policy
Context:
- Provincial commitment to reviewing social assistance system in Ontario
- Promise to develop a “person centered” approach to programs
- Desire of advocacy community to have people who are currently affected by poverty have a key role in reviewing the system
- Provincial advisory council announced in early December 2009
- A multistage process which will span both short term changes and long term reform
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fa·cil·i·tate /fəˈsɪlɪˌteɪt/ [fuh-sil-i-teyt]
–verb (used with object),-tat·ed, -tat·ing.
*to make easier or less difficult; help forward (an action, a process, etc.)
*to assist the progress of (a person/project).
*freedom from difficulty, controversy, misunderstanding, etc.: facility of understanding.
*something that permits the easier performance of an action, course of conduct, etc.: to provide someone with every facility for accomplishing a task
THE PEOPLES’ BLUEPRINT
by Pat Capponi
This is new and different. This is not about powerless people demonstrating, this is about people taking power, being role models, engaging with government and media and one another. It is about responsibility, passion, learning, proposing, empathy and respect. It’s about taking risks, daring to do new things, being courageous and patient and real. It’s about understanding self, it’s about forgiveness and challenging one another, it’s about taking the reins of one’s life.
It’s about transformation, both as individuals and as a group.
Some of us may be more fearful than others, harboring doubts about our ability to learn, to produce. Early experiences with school and ridicule and teachers who weren’t there for us have shaped our view of our “smarts”, but we are not children or teenagers anymore, we have grown in ways we could never have imagined and those trials and tribulations have taught us lessons that few ever learn. They are ours to share.
And it starts simply, with stories, our stories, in a room filled with others who know poverty and shame and despair and hopelessness. Who understand what its like to be left behind, to be invisible, to be considered a failure, or a problem, or a screw-up. We each will get to know one another very well, we will feel each others experiences, walk in each others shoes. We will expand our knowledge of poverty in ways the “experts” will never know it.
First hand, we’ve experienced everything that poverty brings with it, the loss of hope, of opportunity, the constant anxiety, the hyper vigilance. That sense of being trapped in a maze of rules and forced to deal with strangers whose cold accusing eyes reduce us to silence, who can make our lives even more miserable with a simple stroke of the pen, cut us off from any income, endanger our housing, our families, our futures.
Together we will explode stereotypes, that too commonly held view that those on welfare are living high on the hog, having a gay old time on people’s hard earned tax money, partying day and night and happily sleeping over warm grates on city streets, that “life style choice” we’ve been told the homeless make.
We will battle for hearts and minds, at a time when financial unsettledness and fear is causing a backlash against the poor, as it always does: when things are tough, society has a tendency to look for those to blame, to point at, to curse. This time will be different, because we will be speaking for ourselves, not just waiting to be interpreted by reporters or agency staff or politicians: we will be speaking our truths in ways that will be heard and felt. And we will bring with us the voices of our peers, bring their truths, their struggles to the forefront, so that they will know the power they possess.
We will get to go beyond the usual interactions of the poor and their advocates: where solutions, tactics, and slogans are presented to us, without depth or background or input. We will see the “man behind the curtain”, we will understand the way things work, how policy is formulated, how decisions get made. We will learn from other jurisdictions that have significantly reduced poverty, we will present our findings where they will have the most impact, we will be listened to.
How to begin? It begins with learning from each other. There are many pathways into poverty, very few roads out. We need to understand all the ways poverty snatches lives and replaces them with drudgery and need. Some of us have endured mental illnesses that marginalized us, others have physical disabilities that try hard to limit our productivity, our creativity, some have been raised on welfare by single mothers and are now raising their children on the same meager dollars, some were caught up in addictions that stole their hope and enslaved them to the streets, some fled countries that had no respect for their citizens, some fled husbands who hurt them.
We will hear one another, through our stories, through guided discussions. We will work on listening hard, listening with our whole beings. We will understand what its like to be poor in a small town, to do that walk of shame into food banks as the whole neighborhood watches with interest. We will understand how anonymous and lost a person can be, bedding down for the night in a big city park. How it is to be dismissed as a vibrant, intelligent, capable person simply because one’s in a wheelchair, or has trouble with English as a second language.
As individuals, we will move from the “I” to the “we”, as we listen, as we recognize ourselves in others. We will work together to prepare each other for the research we will conduct in our communities, to decide on the questions we will be asking. We will meet strangers who won’t seem so strange, because of what we’ve learned together. We will help them to speak by listening with empathy, with experience, without judgment, by sharing even before we begin that we too know the road that people are on, we’ve walked those steps. We believe that this will free up conversations that would be stifled if people were faced with a traditional interviewer, brought in cold, knowing nothing of the neighborhood, and less about the day to day challenges that confront the so many of us.
We have been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a real difference in the lives and hopes of the poor. It demands from us that we step up, that we approach this task with the gravity and seriousness it deserves, that we laugh and cry and keep moving the project forward, that we help and encourage one another along the way.
Pat Capponi, Facilitator
Micheal Creek, Facilitator
(Mike does “garbage duty” too!)
INTRODUCING The PEOPLE’S BLUEPRINT:
“My name is Daniel and I’m from Toronto.
I was drawn to this work because I strive to make change, to make it better for people with disabilities, and not only for them but for everyone. I like to make change. I have facilitated, interviewed, educated people about (physical) disabilities. I like to share my experiences; it educates people about “disability awareness”. Glad to have been chosen to be the voices of so many people.
The panel means to me that a group of people have been chosen to tell and share our stories and experiences with/on social assistance, and to tell other people’s stories, in order to change the lives of those receiving social assistance.
We are in the training phase right now, so we’re sharing our stories, why we’re here and what our individual purpose is. At some point, we’ll get out in the community and I will be able to interview people that have been on ODSP and then bring back to the blueprint table their recommendations.
We then present it to the legislature, and from there we can make changes. I am feeling really hopeful. It’s a nice group. They’re very supportive. Even though each is here from different experiences and places, we have a lot in common and have gone through a lot of the same things. It’s nice that we can all identify with each other.”
“My name is Mark and I’m from Aurora.
My parents don’t have a lot of money. I was diagnosed with bi-polar when I was 17. While in hospital at 18, I applied for and have been on ODSP ever since. As you know, that’s not a lot of money. I jumped at the opportunity to tell the stories of myself and others. There is so much lacking in the present system.
We are sharing our experiences from all the different angles. And we’re talking about solutions, the stuff we want to implement. We are talking about systemic issues and we’ve discovered major themes.
Finally, we will present to the provincial government those changes that are necessary and somehow get them put in to law so the problem is solved for once and for all; permanently.
It’s always an uphill battle but I think with the people here, who are sincere and passionate, along with other good fortune, we stand a pretty good chance. A lot of people seem interested in what we’re doing, even people in government.
I don’t see anything negative; it’s all positive what’s going on here.”
“My name is Miriam and I’m from St Catherine’s.
I just moved to St Catherine’s 3 years ago from Montreal. I’m a single parent (12 and 8 at home). It’s horrible here for people like me who’ve got the education and cannot find a job. It’s harder for immigrants. I run a business program for immigrants teaching them how to start their own business; if you can’t find a job, may as well do your own business.
I teach the whole nine yards of business. I’m the facilitator and yet I can’t find a fulltime job? I have two degrees and a lot of experience. I even went to school in Canada for two years; I served over seas representing Canada for eight years. I speak many languages.
What drew me to this was the opportunity to bring awareness to people in power.
I have to work two jobs for $10 dollars an hour to make ends meet. Maybe sometimes you don’t qualify for UI because all you have is part time work. They want 1000 hrs. to qualify for UI. Impossible with part time work so even though you work you are disqualified from the benefit.
If you seek social assistance they ask: “are you a single parent?” and expect me to go find him after ten years. We went to court in Quebec and he didn’t pay. They ask you again to go to court here in Ontario after ten years. Would you want to go back to court?
Maybe you’ve moved forward with your life and your kids, and to have to all go back to that…
So they give me $200 mthly, but not the basic needs allowance because it’s supposed to be covered by child support. You can’t even pay rent with $200. How are you going to live with two children?
And then there’s student loans, and they’re not telling you, “ because you have no money you don’t have to pay this right now”; they want their money. They hound you for it.
I have seen a lot of immigrants here for ten years but they are not able to move forward because there are all these road blocks around them. They become hopeless. They don’t know what to do.
People say what a nice life I have. I just smile. I’m always thinking about money. Taking it from here and putting it there. It is always on my mind. How can I pay the next one, you know. It’s difficult.
My oldest son moved out and that’s even worse because the family allowance is gone. He’s in college. Being poor doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have dreams. I have dreams for myself and for my children. They grow up; you raise them and you have dreams for them. OK, maybe I’m an immigrant but they are born here. They are Canadian. Their lives should be good.
A lot of single parents have dreams for their children. It is not what the perception seems to be: oh, she has nothing, she doesn’t care, she has no dreams, no motivation. It’s not like that. Everybody has dreams.”
My name is Awesome. (Awesome was given his name by the group) I’m from Jordon originally and I live in Toronto
I came to Canada almost two years back.
I’m a qualified dentist. I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in dentistry. I was trying to fit into my profession but I couldn’t because I needed to sit for an eligibility exam, which I did, and which I passed, but I did not get the score that the University of Toronto wants, which is 99%; although, when I got here I got my papers assessed by the U of T and they determined that the degrees that I have are equal to what they offer their students.
The Dental Association will not accept me and wants me to sit another two years at U of T, who say that I am already as qualified as their graduates. This is the dilemma.
So I went to George Brown College and I used all the money I had when I came to do a Dental Assistant program. I did a level two and I was on the honours list for the whole year. I finished and I tried to look for a job and I couldn’t find one. It’s female dominated and I couldn’t find a job in my own community because of my orientation.
So, I’m still looking for a job. When I applied for assistance I had a horrible time because they kept on asking me about papers and documents to say that I need assistance. I showed them my credentials. Why would I go and look for $500 per mth instead of looking for a job?
I found a seasonal job at Banana Republic. I worked for two months and then they said, “Thank-you, but the season is over…” When I go and apply as a dental assistant, they see my papers, but they say, “this job has been taken…” maybe because of my colour, I don’t know.
It feels horrible. I feel so helpless, stupid, and (wrong), I don’t know what to do. I feel lost. Is this the dream that I was dreaming about? Is this what I wanted? Where are my skills? Are they down the drain? Why can’t they see my skills and use them because I know they need them.
I hope two things from this panel. What I really wish to happen for immigrant and refugee people who come to this country with all their dreams and all their skills and credentials, that the people here would find every way they could think of to use these skills, not every way to put people down.
And the second thing is that those who have to look for assistance, especially the newcomers, are not treated badly. They didn’t leave their roots to come looking for $300 a month, that people who seek it, need it.
My name is Stacey and I’m from Toronto.
I like it. I like this panel. I like the people. It’s almost like we’re one big family. Very interesting. I’m learning a lot about other people, what they’re going through, their disabilities, the problems, the issues, what they want. Common theme? We’re all poor!
I’m a single mother with two kids. I’ve always been on assistance. My mother was on assistance. The way that we lived, I think I’m doing a little bit better, because I don’t have as many kids, for one, and the way we are now fighting for our rights. In my mom’s day, they just accepted things.
I’m in college right now. I’m struggling but I’m not giving up. I’m taking an Assaulted Women and Youth Advocate program, to help them and people in general. Build up their self-esteem and help them know “You can do this!”
My hope for the panel is that people get what they want. I would like to be heard, just like everybody else and to actually see the changes being made. I just hope this isn’t something that happens but nothing happens. I really want to see the change.
I go into my background with addiction and find where changes need to be made as we help people. And also, now that I’m in college, I’d like to see more support for people like me.
I’m in co-op housing, so it’s about rent going up or coming down (the Linda Chamberlain syndrome).
My children, I just got my daughter a uniform for school and I thought that would be covered. But it’s not. And TTC for the children, that’s not covered either. I don’t know why they took it away. I still have kids.
They have cut a lot, (even under McGuinty)
My name is Melissa and I’m from Toronto.
I went to school and got my degree in psychology. I was doing a job search in our resource centre and found this opportunity and thought, you know, I’d really like to accomplish something on this panel. And so I applied and was accepted.
I’ve been a single parent for twenty years. I finally graduated and now I can’t find a job. I’m still struggling. I have a relief job so it’s very difficult to survive. Welfare cut me off. They don’t give me any money because I’m working. But the relief work varies every month, sometimes 3 shifts a month, sometimes 5, 7, so it makes it very difficult.
In my relief work with women I have found some of them to be quite talented in different ways- some wonderful artwork and so on…
My children are 17 and 19. I can’t remember the last time I bought clothes for myself. If I have a little extra money, I give it to my kids.
If I can do something on this panel to make some changes, if I can have a voice, then yes- I want to make a difference.
My name is Opal and I’m from Toronto.
I’m really excited about being on this project. What’s really moving and encouraging me are the strengths and the skills that people are bringing to this table. It’s a really strong, informed and industrious group. They really give me a run for my money.
The scope of the panel is being directed by the members of the panel: the issues that they bring and the initiatives they want to start or support. I’m seeing a lot of interest around social policy as it corresponds to our own personal lives and how we want changes made around renting, mental health, support issues, accessibility, and ageism to name a few. These are some of the things I’m learning about. And the stigmas that we face.
I’m learning a lot about mental health services and the way we’ve been treated, immigration, refugee status, the various types of immigrants that come here and why and the process itself.
I’m learning that Wow! I’m not the only one.
Some common themes emerging are housing, low income and nutrition with respect to mental health issues and physiology. Some people are discussing how their physiology changes according to nutrition, their ability to buy what they need or go without, that’s emerging big time.
And also with respect to physical challenges, like myself and others who face these challenges, we’re talking about things like supplements, massage and acupuncture. These are some of the things that need to be brought to the table, but will probably be left out. There are a myriad of things that need to be brought to the table so of course, some things will be left out.
The portable housing subsidy has been discussed a lot. With a portable housing subsidy people have the freedom and ability to live in the private market, outside of agency supervision and support. Sometimes people are outside of the venue of supportive housing. A roommate in the private market might provide some support rather than living in a squalid rooming house.
I have a lot of friends living in rooming houses, and I know the dire straights they’re in. They can’t put food away, keep things clean so they’re not sick all the time with infections, and on and on…
My name is Tesha and I’m from Toronto, Jane and Finch
(Tesha has done a lot of work in her Jane/Finch neighbourhood which has yet to be clarified and will be by Peacock)
It’s great! I love it!
I’m very interested in making the system a better place and reforming welfare. Dealing with social issues, that’s one of the things I like to do.
I had my first daughter when I was 17. I was introduced to the system early because I wasn’t really able to support her on my own.
I was in school. I was on student finance, but then, I was on welfare as well… so a lot of years. And so even now, I’m still trying to gain financial independence. Sometimes I feel stuck: I want an education, I want a job but I feel like it’s taking a long time. I’m trying to recognize the barriers and bring them down.
When I was asked what were the things I would change about welfare, one of the things I said was that it would provide training and education and empowerment for the people that were on it.
Every case is different but try to find some ways of making people self-sufficient, independent. Boost their self-esteem by giving them opportunities.
My name is Rob and I’m from Sudbury.
The whole idea is that it is a learning experience. It’s an opportunity to learn and go out as a person (into community) and bring that (what you hear) back. And then there’s always the possibility of engineering change with collective ideas of how to make the system better.
My situation right now is, I’m on ODSP and I was working part time, and basically 50% of your income is taken off your cheque. Then my geared to income housing takes off another 30% and they base it on the gross. So I’m only working for twenty dollars on the hundred. Twenty cents on the dollar. So a lot of people in my building for instance just don’t want to work because they’re not willing to put that extra effort for .20 on the $1.00.
There’s got to be a way to come up with an alternative.
You ask anybody on the street if they want to work for .20 on the $1.00.
They’ll tell you where to go.
There’s got to be a way to make it fair for people.
My name is George and I’m from Hamilton.
I got ill back in the early ‘90’s. Spent time in and out of the hospital, through OW (welfare) and ODSP (Ontario Disability).
I’m a peer support worker in Hamilton. I heard about the work through my boss. It gives me an opportunity to be able to express some of the difficulties I’ve had with the Social Services system.
I find that the people here have a lot to say. Together, we can come up with some good ideas.
continued below…
A seat has been set for you at this table on Peacock Poverty. We welcome your experience, insight and ideas for change. peacockpoverty@yahoo.ca.
Lunch with the Panel #2 May/2010
The Classroom
My name is Robin. I’m from Thunderbay, Ontario.
I am here because I can’t take anymore what the government is doing to people like me on ODSP (Ontario Disability Supports Program)or OW (Ontario Works) who are struggling so badly that they can’t buy food, they can’t get transportation to go to a job interview…they just can’t…they just can’t take it anymore.
I want to make a difference so that other people can go to job interviews…they need dignity, they need hope, give them something.
I grew up in Thunderbay. I was married at 24. It was abusive. Two years into the marriage, I took my daughter during the day while he was at work and got away. I left everything behind.
We went to an abused women’s shelter. I was there for three months. While I was there I was receiving an OW subsidy of $50 per mth. to buy everything the shelter didn’t supply.
I had to get an apartment over a weekend because my lawyer informed me that if I didn’t have a home, my husband was going to get custody. The thought of him getting custody of her felt like the end of the world to me.
So my mom helped me and we got a place; it wasn’t subsidized. It costs more than $200 over my housing allowance. My whole OW cheque went to pay rent. Without the food bank and my mother, we wouldn’t have survived. That went on for quite a while.
I cannot believe they are taking the Special Diet. I actually got on it myself for my physical ailments. It took a year to get on..(Robin sits in an electric wheel chair). I’m on the edge of diabetes and I have intestinal/gastro problems. I get $82 a mth to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, which cost a fortune in Thunderbay.
The fact is that it is unbelievable. How much more can they take from us?
This panel I see as our one glimmer of hope. We’ve got to get it done, for everyone. We’re everyone’s hope and we’re gonna do it.
My name is Gunner. I’m from Toronto.
I’m on ODSP and saw the job opportunity through a counsellor. I applied right away because we are looking at, addressing issues that are close to my heart.
I’ve been on ODSP 6 or 7 years. All of us have a different story. Mine is different in that I was not born into poverty. I’m actually a very capable and educated person.
ODSP led to a lifestyle that was not healthy for my recovery. I began having difficulties when I worked full time as a teacher and I was suffering from depression. I also had a substance abuse problem. Things soon got out of control.
Part of the drug abuse has its origins in my medical care. I have gone from one level of life and into poverty, living in rooming houses initially. Evictions due to my drug abuse landed me in shelters.
All of this had a bad effect on my depression.
What I would really like to see is a better tracking of people with my sort of problem- substance abuse. There needs to be more cohesion between the medical field and social service (OW/ODSP) providers.
We need stability in order to recover. Ontario Housing and options of that sort are pretty good, but there are waiting lists and the housing allowances do not allow us to live in healthy bright environments.
A lot of times people deal with depression by using drugs, whether they’re prescribed or otherwise. It’s a downward spiral without healthy housing.
The Special Diet is something that I know some people really need. Whether it’s diabetes or food allergies…a lot of people living in poverty actually have to go to food banks. Unfortunately, these are often high starch, highly processed, carbs, a lot of additives and preservatives.
What are these people to do with no alternatives?
They’re being “maintained” at some level which will actually end up costing us more as complications arise. Perhaps there should be more scrutiny as to who is getting those funds, but there are people who absolutely need those funds to survive.
Robin: Dignity has a price with ODSP. I have a catheter which is filled with urine and is there for everyone in the world to see. It’s very harmful to your self-esteem.
They came out with a bag that is black and shiny instead of clear. The catheter fits right inside it. It’s perfect. It cost $20. It would give you some dignity. ODSP won’t pay for it. You may think $20 is nothing, but when you have nothing, it’s everything.
My name’s Jonathon and I’m from Sudbury.
I’m on ODSP. I’m a big proponent of mental health issues. Mental illness, poverty and homelessness seem to go hand in hand.
I hope to get rid of some of the stigma and make sure people understand we deserve some dignity and respect.
I think the attack on the Special diet is ridiculous. I am in receipt of it and it’s barely enough as it is.
Most people, whether on OW or ODSP just don’t have enough money for nutritious food. They’re reduced to eating bad things just to make the money last. I think everyone should have the Special Diet, especially those on ODSP who can benefit from fresh produce and such.
My name is Michelle and I come from Cambridge.
The issues seem to be a little less obvious there than here in Toronto. Still very difficult to get housing though. There’s high unemployment with textiles now gone.
We need housing. Very important. And we need the claw backs on ODSP (50%) reduced.
I get $365 for rent. My rent is $600. I think we should be able to earn whatever we need to pay that rent before they start clawing back. Where’s the inspiration to go out and work?
That’s really the issue for our area.
The People’s Blueprint: Research and Power Dynamics by O.Sparks
Peacock MUSINGS for April 2010
As a person with physical disabilities, I know that the future is dim as far as my healthcare, housing, and nutrition are concerned. I am dependant on wheeltrans to get around the city, and I must depend on my adult daughter, who also has a physical disability, for housekeeping and more of life’s chores, even as I realize that my dependency greatly impedes her ability to fashion a life for herself.
For using my voice to request my self-identified priorities for care, I’ve been labeled “non-compliant”, “hard to serve” and have been denied services or had them delayed because of my “attitude”. This kind of consequence can be intimidating and silencing.. .
I understand why and how we fall through the cracks. We need more peer counselors, peer advocates, peer administrators (especially in OW ODSP offices) to highlight and solve some of these issues. I’d like to see more persons with lived expertise be involved in direct service provision.
Often when invited to the table as a person with “lived expertise”, there is already an invisible plan in place, as to findings. In other words, the goals and objectives, the questions and even the answers are somehow known and expected.
I may see the errors, I may question the direction, but I’m not there- apparently- to contribute my views or my expertise, I’m there to provide a sheen of legitimacy to the project, so that the researchers can say a person with lived expertise has rubber stamped the “findings”. I’ve become disillusioned, suspicious, felt deceived, and wondered: Why aren’t research projects being conducted by and for people with “lived expertise”.
When chosen for the Peoples Blueprint, I was grateful and definitely felt powered-up, respected, and understood. As community peers, I was hoping we’d all be involved and aware of the impact our input, freely given, could make.
Anyway, I’m aware of Pat Capponi’s history as a “crazy”, an ‘in your face’ activist when it wasn’t popular. I’ve read some of the chronicling of her travels across Canada – living, experiencing, or witnessing the lives of desperate, befuddled, self-medicators and other marginalized persons, victims of services, victims of labeling, victims of redlined exclusion. These writings speak to me and have assured me of her authenticity and integrity.
Michael Oliphant and Richard Matern sit on the other side of the table. I see them as compassionate, service providers who are acutely familiar with the issues “lived expertise’ persons face daily. To them we are: 1) the immigrants who’ve come for a life free of persecution and fear or who’ve been recruited to live on “streets of gold” in exchange for their credentials; 2) the citizens who may be 3rd or 4th generation poor, or undereducated, or highly skilled yet unemployed or…; 4) the disabled who experience visible or invisible challenges and who struggle to find their place without being “directed” to be “compliant” for service providers, 5) professionals (citizens or immigrants) who’ve been displaced through the migration of corporations to overseas locales in order to minimize their bottom line.
Having worked with Michael and Richard on the poverty reduction strategy research project, I’ve come to see them as researchers who “get” us. So, even though they make their living servicing the poor, their techniques speak to our reality. Their methodology doesn’t dilute or ignore the history of a system that has resulted in our marginalized reality.
Mike Creek is one whom I’m getting to know. As a Maytree participant, Mike has spent time with us giving us the opportunity to hear some of his story. I’m impressed by his tenacity, his brilliance, his commitment as a community advocate and social justice planner.
As a member of the People’s Blueprint, I welcome the resources that we, as a team, source and inspect. Each person on this panel represents personal experience with the myriad of issues and challenges that other marginalized persons must endure.
Housing, health, food, clothing: these are basic components to a dignified, humane existence. Lack of these necessities has resulted in epidemic health issues for the poor. Lack of basic necessities leaves us more susceptible to chronic illnesses, and mental illness symptoms such as depression.
In my opinion we must adhere to policies and directives that demean, over scrutinize (unlike the misuse of other public funds and programs that receive little public outcry and really, no consequence for these acts), and punish us as we try to navigate complex rules and directives that are often not administered according to the directives nor consistently explained similarly.
As a member of the People’s Blueprint I can say what I think, discuss these issues with others. We see where we agree, where we have a difference of opinion, where we can teach others about the opinions or misinformation that we hold. I’ve heard from others who’ve been in other projects; that is not always the case.
As a member of the People’s Blueprint, I’m excited that we’ve been contracted to participate without scripting, without coercion, without predestined mandates, or strategies. We’re devoid of manipulation, intimidation or fear of reprisal, at least during this research process. When this winds down, I am skeptical of how I’ll be treated outside of this circle. Will my input here, come back to haunt me? Probably! Are people wanting me to speak for them in this “Opal” space? Certainly! Do I foresee punitive results for my opinions and experiences? Positively! Am I maintaining personal boundaries and perspectives? One can only hope!
These recommendations are to be ours. Individually, we’ve rarely been asked for our input. Will we continue to wait for direction, as the assumed stance? Will we dare to own our convictions, ideals, opinions and visions for changes to the social assistance model? I may put my foot in my mouth several times. Yet, I know what my goals are! I intend to speak my truth, and the truths of those who want to be interviewed. Hopefully, this will meet the hardened hearts of those who think scraps are all I deserve. As I approach my senior years, I’m satisfied that I’ve contributed to society. I want to do more. I, too, want to experience a better quality of life.
My expectations or thoughts as a participant for the community interviews, so far, are as follows:
a) to choose interview questions that allow people to speak to issues, conditions they’d like to see changed or eradicated;
b) to allow people to tell their stories according to a “theme” e.g. housing; homelessness; food and/or costs; nutrition; health issues and lack or choice of supports, services, and products; dental care and hygiene; glasses; clothing allowances and services; gifts from and for family/friends/school fundraisers; recreation costs for family and extracurricular activities for youth; disabilities; seniors; immigrants; professional credentials and Canadian experience; education and training, etc.
Will this research project be the start of people with “lived expertise”) obtaining grant monies to research our communities?
We have interest, skill, experience, ideas that are often not recognized, under utilized, co-opted or ignored. We’ve come a long way from chocolate bars, a sandwich, or tokens as honorariums for our consultations. Thanks to those who paved the way! Many gave their lives. We’ve lost countless unsung heroes and heroines.
“As Premier McGinty recently stated: social assistance “stomps people into the ground’ and something must be done to make the system work the way it should”.
Pat Capponi, Mike Creek, Richard Matern, and Michael Oliphant have started a new trend with this project. Even though I see our present input being a time-limited opportunity, a one of– who else will provide a venue of inclusive consultation for us?
Our truths have a right to be spoken, our truths have a right to be heard.
Peace, Opportunity, Inclusion, Change, Hope, Endurance…
O. Sparks
The Toronto Star and the “People’s Blueprint Panel”
Sima Dini
This week marks the beginning of “the people’s review of social assistance,” a process led by 20 social assistance recipients to identify what’s wrong with the current system and to make recommendations to change and enhance the way municipalities deliver services, communities offer supports and governments provide income security benefits. This project is supported by the Daily Bread Food Bank and Voices from the Street. Over the coming months, the Star will be highlighting some of the participants in the review, beginning today with Sima Dini, who came here from Iran five years ago.
Growing up in the Middle East , I witnessed many variations of poverty, but I never thought it would become the reality of my own life. I had already survived a social revolution in my teen years, eight years of war with a neighbouring country and 10 years of a very difficult marriage, which ended in divorce. All this left me with the idea that I was a trooper and could face anything.
My departure from my country happened rather abruptly and in my race for survival, I didn’t realize that I’d crossed yet another border, that invisible line between the middle class and the poor. Looking back, I don’t even know how I managed to make it through the refugee process – which took four years – while my mind was feeling so numb and chaotic at the same time. I had lived a very independent life and worked as a nurse. Now I had to face the reality that overnight I had become totally dependant on the welfare dollars I was receiving.
As I was trying to recover from the trauma of being uprooted from my home and being away from my family, my mind really needed to catch up in order for me to survive and function. It was comforting to find people who cared about my situation and helped me find my way to a women’s shelter, then into the subsidized housing I have today. As grateful as I was for making it that far, the challenges of facing every single day couldn’t be ignored.
My first winter here came as a shock. I spent it recovering from the half dozen flus I caught, one after another. I decided I needed to be better prepared for the second winter, and was pleased to discover the concept of second-hand stores.
I still remember a jaw-dropping moment when a sweater I had found after looking through a huge pile of clothes was snatched out of my hands. I have to say I had no hard feelings toward the woman who did that. She, too, was probably trying to prepare for the cold as best she could. It does require layers of clothing to provide armour against the wind chill.
I learned ways of making the best of what I had. There are actually some stores in parts of the city where you can put 100 pennies in a plastic bag and take it to the cash register. They don’t even have to count them. The bag would just be weighed. It became my routine at the end of each month to count pennies to be dropped in bags.
In order to keep my costs as low as possible, I pulled out every skill that I’ve ever had. I cut my own hair, I shopped in Chinatown at the end of the day to get the best bargains, and I would carry as many items as my arms could bear to save money on transit – even if it meant a nasty look for taking up too much space on the streetcar. Yet even with all my determination and no matter how hard I tried to stretch my budget, I was never able to balance my finances on welfare.
As small as my place is – 80 square feet to be precise – I did not hesitate to share it when I met a woman from my country who, even with all the degrees and experience she had, couldn’t find a job in her field. She was facing homelessness, so for a time she slept on my floor. I’ll never forget her leaving each morning at 5, without taking a shower or eating breakfast. I told her many times to feel free to do what she needed to do, but she didn’t want to add to my burden.
I remember pooling our money together to buy a $ 1.50 hot dog to share, and I can’t count the number of times we gave one another a shoulder to cry on or shared a joke to cheer us up. She’s happily married in Europe now and just had a baby, but a bond has been created between us that the distance can’t break.
However difficult, there are some advantages in living in such close proximity to other people. It can create remarkable memories. It’s impossible for me to forget the aboriginal woman who was living a few doors down from me. My attempt to find out the reason for her frequent crying made me realize we both shared the pain of not seeing our children. As hard as it was to go through it, we found comfort and relief crying and mourning together.
I know that many people today are at risk of losing everything, of falling into poverty. That is why I am so pleased to have the opportunity through this people’s review to help fix a badly broken system of social assistance so that it won’t be so crushing and traumatic for the next man or woman who has to ask for help. Each of us who’ve been selected bring with us our experiences and our passion to make a difference, and our need to give back to this province in real ways. We hope readers will follow our progress and support our efforts.
Sima Dini
Sima Dini is a graduate of Voices from the Street and a talented artist
The People’s Review of Social Assistance is a process led by 20 social assistance recipients to identify what’s wrong with the current system and to propose doable recommendations to change and enhance the way municipalities deliver services, communities offer support and senior levels of government provide income security benefits. The project is supported by the Daily Bread Food Bank and Voices from the Street. The Star is highlighting some of the participants in the review. Today’s article is by Mark Sussman.
As a teenager, my life took a bad turn, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which left me unable to work or attend school. I was grateful then, at 18, to be accepted the first time I applied to the Ontario Disability Support Program.
That gratitude turned to anger and disbelief, however, when I read the humiliating letter from anonymous officials who had done a paper assessment of my circumstances, telling me I would be “incapable of working for the rest of my life.”
I wondered how anyone could so confidently predict what my future held for me. Still, it was that assumption of my worth that motivated me to attend college part-time, in the hope of avoiding a lifetime of poverty and perhaps to prove to myself and others just how capable I was. Of course, it hasn’t been easy. Given the amount I am allotted for rent, I’ve had to live in unstable housing where every morning someone woke me demanding money for drugs. I was hurt once by another tenant and had to keep quiet or risk losing the roof over my head.
I started to find my voice when I became a member of a grassroots organization in York Region spearheaded by the Poverty Action for Change Coalition. It is through this organization that I discovered the remarkable opportunity to participate in a project called the “People’s Review.” We are training to be peer researchers in our own communities, to come up with questions to put to social assistance recipients about their struggles, their ideas for change and their hopes for the future.
I have met and listened to my fellow panel members and had my eyes opened to some of the horrors of trying to survive out there. I’ve heard from people with challenging physical disabilities who have to wait years just to have the right to choose a personal support worker. I’ve heard how a single mom who moved here from a different province was threatened with receiving zero assistance because it was her responsibility to track down her missing ex-husband and sue him for child support. And I’ve heard how people suffering from addictions are told simply to “get over it.”
I was ashamed as a Canadian to learn that one member of our panel, who came here as a refugee without identification, was handcuffed at the airport and taken to a detention centre. And that another of the newcomers on our panel is qualified as a dentist but is blocked from practising unless he retrains – something he simply can’t afford to do.
It might surprise some to know that a major theme in our meetings is that there seems to be no way out of poverty. That what we receive, if we are finally deemed qualified to receive it, is barely enough to survive. This can, and has, caused people to act out of desperation, including staying in an abusive relationship or contemplating robbery.
People who are on social assistance have vulnerabilities, either noticeable on the surface or hidden, for which they need help. What they need – what I need – is to be able to eat nutritious food, to live in a safe environment, to feel like we are more than a number. And it’s essential that the public and the politicians understand that all people on ODSP and Ontario Works (tragically seen as the “deserving poor” and the “undeserving poor”) who are capable of becoming financially self-sufficient, whether through education, trades or business ownership, want to do so.
There needs to be a shift in governmental thinking when it comes to social assistance. I’d like Queen’s Park to know that providing enough money for healthy diets and increasing opportunities for people to contribute their skills and abilities rather than waste away in shame and isolation would be an investment that would pay off big time in savings, especially to our burgeoning health-care budget.
Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to create any more committees or studies. We’ve got that covered with our People’s Review. All we are asking you as our elected officials, the ones who are entrusted with making the decisions that directly impact our lives, is to review the evidence. Then all you will need to ask yourself is: How can we not afford to do this?
Mark Sussman lives in Aurora. He is learning to be a paralegal and doing advocacy work related to poverty.
