Shall I go or shall I stay? Poverty advocate Kendall Worth feels he has to choose between what is perhaps a brighter future in Ontario and the Nova Scotia that he loves, home to his beloved niece and nephew, his family, friends and fellow advocates. We at the Nova Scotia Advocate hope he decides to stay. We need more fighters like him, not fewer.
MLA Larry Harrison believes Nova Scotia should hire people on income assistance to pick up garbage and cut brush along the highways. Kendall Worth, who is on welfare himself, believes Larry Harrison doesn’t know welfare from a hole in the ground, and that he should resign.
Kendall Worth, who is on social assistance, continues his review of the welfare changes that Community Services is working on. People on welfare will be pigeonholed according to their skills and ability to work, and that’s a scary idea, he writes.
Kendall Worth, who knows all too well what it is like to be on social assistance, is puzzled about the results of the so-called First Voice consultation conducted by Community Services. “Clients I personally talk to tell me that they got depressed and gave up.”
When you’re poor there are few places you can go to for socializing and fighting loneliness in the evenings and on weekends. Cup of coffee? Not if it comes out of your tiny food budget. The bar scene? Way too expensive and not suitable for many. A movie? Out of the question. So what to do?
Kendall Worth, inspired by a documentary we recently featured, makes a passionate plea to get serious about inclusion and community living. Kendall lives with several invisible disabilities, and he knows all too well what he is speaking of.
Kendall Worth on the need for a 24/7 centre where people can go when social isolation is getting them down.
Another inventive suggestion by our regular contributor Kendall Worth. Why not give that $2 million Community Services spends on consultants to the group he chairs? They are better qualified to make recommendations on how to fix social assistance than anybody. After all, it’s the life they live. And they could use the money.
The Department of Community Services wants to change how it delivers welfare. But it still isn’t clear what that means, says Kendall Worth, after attending an update session organized by the department. In fact, there is reason to worry.
Frequent contributor Kendall Worth tackles the serious topic of social isolation. He looks at causes for isolation other than poverty, and particularly puts alcoholism under the loop. But poverty can certainly add to the problem, Kendall explains. He ends with a list of suggestions anybody can try, from joining a book club to becoming an activist.