INJUSTICE!!!!
John has been bugging me about posting something new and wondered if I had a life outside of Luke :\ Sometimes I wonder the same thing. This is kind of about Luke but more about the idiots who run our country and province in this case.
Yesterday Robyn had an appointment with an investigator from Welfare. They don't call themselves that anymore because the name is too derogatory so they are now called Income Assistance. What a load of crap! They give Robyn $945. a month to support her and Luke. (sorry Robyn to let everyone know what you get but I have to to get my point across) She also receives $360. from Child Tax Benefit. So in total she gets about $1300.00 Her rent is $770. She has a two bedroom but it has a washer and dryer in the suite so she doesn't have to spend money on Laundry so we thought that all things considered it wasn't a bad deal because that would cost her about $40 a month. She has to have a phone because her security door works through her phone. That's $50 for a basic phone. Her hydro is about $60 a month, car insurance is $110 a month, internet is $55 (she got her cable cut off because it was too expensive) Her cell phone is $60 at least. (Rogers are a rip off but she's on a plan and can't cancel)
So these guys do the math and find out that they are not paying Robyn enough to live on and so they haul her in to talk. I go with her. We are told that I cannot as her mother, help my child out. She is living way beyond her means and has luxuries that you are not allowed on Wefare. Oh sorry..."Assistance". She does not need a car. I told the woman that we lived over 1/2 and hour away and for us to come in and pick her up and take her grocery shopping, to appointments and all of that would cost us way more than to just pay for her insurance. Sorry.. wrong answer. She can't have a car. She also can't have internet and she is allowed $570 for rent which has to include utilities even your phone so technically to live within their budget, she has to find a place to live for $400. I asked her where on this entire island can you find a place to live for that much. She just smiled and said she had clients that live within their budget but their address often says Haliburton or Harewood and they are not two bedroom. They are bachelor or one bedroom. She's not allowed her own room. That is also a luxury I'm told. I told her I would rather pay for my daughter not to have to live down there because it is not safe. She is a single mom with a baby for crying out loud. I had friends that lived there and they were scared to come home at night and all they listened to all night long was screaming and fighting and sirens. Now I have to send my daughter and grandchild to live there. She asked me if I was expecting this money back and I was honest and said 'no, it is a gift'. Sorry wrong again. The correct answer is yes. I am not allowed to gift my child money every month. Only the odd time but if it's on going then it is declared as 'unearned income'. Well are you not after all called income assistance? NO! They are deducting dollar for dollar all of it off of her next check. They are nice enough to let her pay off the other 3 months but last month whatever I gave her is all coming off next check. So now next month she is getting about $500. I asked her how she expected Robyn to live on that even if she did move. That leaves nothing to live on and won't even pay her rent. It will be very obvious once again that someone must have helped her. Then they'll haul her in there again to find out how she survived on $500 because they know it's impossible. All she said to me was that I had some hard things to go home and think about.
But get this. Here's the real kicker. Eddie who is native also gets $900 a month from the same government. That is not to pay rent or bills or food or any costs especially that of a child. No, that is just for the poor boy to have some spending money for the month because he goes to college which is really stressful and all. So they pay for his ENTIRE tuition. And it's not a student loan. How would he ever pay that back? That would just cause more stress. So they just pay for it all and give him $900 a month just to spend and just because he's native. Now this is not a rant about natives (I'll save that for another time) but this just burns my butt. And they'll help him stay living on the north end because you can't put the likes of him down in the south end. It may not be safe. Heck he's a big enough and he's a guy and he'd fit right in down there! No lets instead send a single mom with a baby to live down there but don't give her a cell phone or a car. Those are luxuries. Ohhhhhhhhhhh I am just so mad.
Now if Robyn was an unfit mother, they would take Luke away from her and pay some other person over $1000 a month to look after him, and give this person all the help and support they needed. But they won't give it to Robyn. This is not a rant against foster parents....Margaret. (I'll also save that for another time :\)
I asked the lady how I was to watch my daughter live like this and she had no answer other than 'assistance is there to help people who are down and out and if we make it too comfortable they will stay on assistance. I understand that but to allow $400-$500 for rent???? You can't rent anywhere for that. She agreed but said if they paid the going rate, then they would have to be paying people in Vancouver $1000 a month for rent and that is just not right. So people cheat the system and they wonder why. People start selling drugs and they wonder why. Jails are filled with 80% reoffenders and they wonder why. They spend more money on those guys per month too. Also another rant I'll save for another time.
So Robyn is giving her notice today. She has to give her car back cut off her internet, move to a small bachelor pad or at best a one bedroom so now she'll be at least 45 minutes away, and I am not allowed to help her out anymore unless I get way better at figuring out how to cheat the system. I am just so angry and last night at our home group we talked about what it looks like to be angry and not sin. Right now I'm not sure I know what that looks like. Any help would be greatly appreciated and any prayers you want to send up our way would be great.
Yesterday Robyn had an appointment with an investigator from Welfare. They don't call themselves that anymore because the name is too derogatory so they are now called Income Assistance. What a load of crap! They give Robyn $945. a month to support her and Luke. (sorry Robyn to let everyone know what you get but I have to to get my point across) She also receives $360. from Child Tax Benefit. So in total she gets about $1300.00 Her rent is $770. She has a two bedroom but it has a washer and dryer in the suite so she doesn't have to spend money on Laundry so we thought that all things considered it wasn't a bad deal because that would cost her about $40 a month. She has to have a phone because her security door works through her phone. That's $50 for a basic phone. Her hydro is about $60 a month, car insurance is $110 a month, internet is $55 (she got her cable cut off because it was too expensive) Her cell phone is $60 at least. (Rogers are a rip off but she's on a plan and can't cancel)
So these guys do the math and find out that they are not paying Robyn enough to live on and so they haul her in to talk. I go with her. We are told that I cannot as her mother, help my child out. She is living way beyond her means and has luxuries that you are not allowed on Wefare. Oh sorry..."Assistance". She does not need a car. I told the woman that we lived over 1/2 and hour away and for us to come in and pick her up and take her grocery shopping, to appointments and all of that would cost us way more than to just pay for her insurance. Sorry.. wrong answer. She can't have a car. She also can't have internet and she is allowed $570 for rent which has to include utilities even your phone so technically to live within their budget, she has to find a place to live for $400. I asked her where on this entire island can you find a place to live for that much. She just smiled and said she had clients that live within their budget but their address often says Haliburton or Harewood and they are not two bedroom. They are bachelor or one bedroom. She's not allowed her own room. That is also a luxury I'm told. I told her I would rather pay for my daughter not to have to live down there because it is not safe. She is a single mom with a baby for crying out loud. I had friends that lived there and they were scared to come home at night and all they listened to all night long was screaming and fighting and sirens. Now I have to send my daughter and grandchild to live there. She asked me if I was expecting this money back and I was honest and said 'no, it is a gift'. Sorry wrong again. The correct answer is yes. I am not allowed to gift my child money every month. Only the odd time but if it's on going then it is declared as 'unearned income'. Well are you not after all called income assistance? NO! They are deducting dollar for dollar all of it off of her next check. They are nice enough to let her pay off the other 3 months but last month whatever I gave her is all coming off next check. So now next month she is getting about $500. I asked her how she expected Robyn to live on that even if she did move. That leaves nothing to live on and won't even pay her rent. It will be very obvious once again that someone must have helped her. Then they'll haul her in there again to find out how she survived on $500 because they know it's impossible. All she said to me was that I had some hard things to go home and think about.
But get this. Here's the real kicker. Eddie who is native also gets $900 a month from the same government. That is not to pay rent or bills or food or any costs especially that of a child. No, that is just for the poor boy to have some spending money for the month because he goes to college which is really stressful and all. So they pay for his ENTIRE tuition. And it's not a student loan. How would he ever pay that back? That would just cause more stress. So they just pay for it all and give him $900 a month just to spend and just because he's native. Now this is not a rant about natives (I'll save that for another time) but this just burns my butt. And they'll help him stay living on the north end because you can't put the likes of him down in the south end. It may not be safe. Heck he's a big enough and he's a guy and he'd fit right in down there! No lets instead send a single mom with a baby to live down there but don't give her a cell phone or a car. Those are luxuries. Ohhhhhhhhhhh I am just so mad.
Now if Robyn was an unfit mother, they would take Luke away from her and pay some other person over $1000 a month to look after him, and give this person all the help and support they needed. But they won't give it to Robyn. This is not a rant against foster parents....Margaret. (I'll also save that for another time :\)
I asked the lady how I was to watch my daughter live like this and she had no answer other than 'assistance is there to help people who are down and out and if we make it too comfortable they will stay on assistance. I understand that but to allow $400-$500 for rent???? You can't rent anywhere for that. She agreed but said if they paid the going rate, then they would have to be paying people in Vancouver $1000 a month for rent and that is just not right. So people cheat the system and they wonder why. People start selling drugs and they wonder why. Jails are filled with 80% reoffenders and they wonder why. They spend more money on those guys per month too. Also another rant I'll save for another time.
So Robyn is giving her notice today. She has to give her car back cut off her internet, move to a small bachelor pad or at best a one bedroom so now she'll be at least 45 minutes away, and I am not allowed to help her out anymore unless I get way better at figuring out how to cheat the system. I am just so angry and last night at our home group we talked about what it looks like to be angry and not sin. Right now I'm not sure I know what that looks like. Any help would be greatly appreciated and any prayers you want to send up our way would be great.
posted by footsack | 5:19 AM
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