Kendall Worth: it is safe to say that 80% of income assistance recipients live a life of loneliness and social isolation. Many do not have good relationships with their families, and many of them do not even talk to their families. COVID-19 made this so much more worse, but we can do something about it.
In Nova Scotia people who were on social assistance while working part time were told by Community Services to apply for CERB. Now that CERB is ending they are worried and have many questions. Kendall Worth speaks out.
Kendall Worth speaks with NS NDP leader Gary Burrill and others about CERB. Early on in the COVID lockdown people on income assistance who held part time jobs were told by Community Services to apply for CERB. For the time being they receive more money, but there have been lots of headaches.
Kendall Worth: “I have heard from several people on CERB who received an email on Thursday July 30 that has them very concerned, because it says people will lose CERB money they were counting on.”
Last month Community Services told Income Assistance recipients who qualify that they must apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). We are hearing that this decision has raised many questions and quite a bit of anxiety.
Kendall Worth turns to the federal government to argue that people on income assistance or CPP Disability need urgent help to deal with COVID-19.
People who are receiving income assistance (IA) benefits and meet the program conditions can apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and will receive the full $2000 monthly payment. Reporting by Robert Devet and Kendall Worth,
A quick story on the lack of support for people on social assistance during this godawful pandemic. “I have multiple chronic illnesses that put me in the high risk category from COVID-19. Not just from the illness itself, but also, if I do get sick it will likely worsen, maybe permanently, all the illnesses I’m already struggling with.”
Today Kelly Regan, Minister of Community Services, joined the daily COVID-19 government press conference to discuss what her department is doing to help income assistance recipients and other low income people. Not very much at all, it turns out.
Kendall Worth wrote an open letter to Premier Stephen McNeil and ministers Kelly Regan and Randy Delorey, about the many pressures people on income assistance face, and some great suggestions on what to do about it.