Present Method:Welfare & Charity

Large, expensive, bureaucracy-based system. Maintains control. Impacts individuals, families and communities adversely in may ways.

---Physical Health---

• People unable to purchase healthy food for adequate nutrition. Results often include: poor health, obesity, diabetics, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, cancer, strokes, compromised learning, poor dental health, organic based mental and emotional health difficulties.
• Increased demand for health care. High cost for diagnostic equipment, clinics, professionals, doctors, dental care, drugs.
• Has created a health care crisis in which adequate staff levels are impossible to maintain and workers are subjects to extremely high levels of stress.
• Patients provided with short-term care and then they return to situation in which good health can not be maintained. Conditions become chronic. Ongoing need for treatments and re-hospitalizations.
• Use of prescriptions and chemical based methods of attempting to maintain health. Often these have side effects that create additional medical complications

Principle: deal only with affects of poverty

---Emotional Health---

• People in financial need have high levels of stress, despair, anger, loss of control and depression.
• Persons living with these conditions are more likely to need mental health services and hospitalizations.
• Persons provided with short-term care and return to situation where mental and emotional health can not be maintained and basic needs are not met. Thus, maintaining the cycle.
• A result is a crisis parallel to the one in the physical health-care system.
• Increased potential for family conflict, domestic violence, family breakup, children in care, suicide, drugs, alcohol, and gambling and other addictions as a means of attempting to escape or attempting to cope.
• Persons whose basic needs are not met attempt to obtain needs through criminal or socially inappropriate active. Thus, the fact that poor people are more likely to be in conflict with the law and to be incarcerated or to be engaged in prostitution.
• Community requires more support services in form of Social Services, police, courts, addiction counseling. Workers within these system are overworked and stress.

Principle: People are punished for their lack of self-sufficiency by denying them the means for quality of life, recreation and comforts.

---Spiritual Health---

• This impact is in many ways invisible and thus more difficult for people to see or understand.
• People in poverty are subjected to the affect of limited choices, lack of control, constant denial and lack of basic needs and comforts, being forced to accept second rate and second-hand, poor housing options and verbal and non-verbal constant reminders of inferiority. Consequently, many suffer from low self-esteem, lack of confidence and pride.
• As a Social Worker, who has facilitated empowerment and personal growth for many individuals I know that self-esteem, confidence and pride are the foundation blocks that all must have in order to transition from spiritual illness to spiritual health.
• Some people create these foundation blocks for themselves. But for many this does not occur without support. And for them, the common advice" Just get a job", is not a solution.

---Dignity---

• Families in poverty do not have adequate money for leisure, equipment, fees. Subsidized programs do not guaranteed involvement. (Source Winnipeg Free Press, March 26th, 2005, page A16.) "Kids from low-income families are hesitant to sign up. Some don't want to face the embarrassment of having to prove their family's low-income status to get ... waiver. Others .,, still feel awkward about testing their skills against kids from wealthier neighborhoods who have had years of coaching.... Some are ashamed of their no-name shoes."
• Continue to value people based on their economic contribution to the community. Do not make allowance for individual circumstances or history. One solution fits all.

---Educational and vocational---

• Individuals without adequate nutrition are compromised in their ability to learn. Do more poorly in school. Lower levels of success in university, college and professional.
• Families unable to afford educational supports systems available to wealthier families, Example, computers, cable and satellite TV channels which provide educational and creative programs
• Children of families in poverty are disadvantaged in educational field and are more likely to be poor themselves, than children from wealthier families.

---Direct Cost---

• Society now pays for a wide variety of provincial and Federal benefits and subsidy programs. Each has their own criteria and administrative systems. We maintain a very complex and expensive welfare system including salaries, many buildings, phones, office supplies, furniture, utilities, computers, staffing costs such as benefits, pensions.
• I do not hesitate to say that the cost of these systems are at least 3 times the cost of what is actually spent for direct benefits of clients. It is probable that my estimate is low.

Principle: Maintains control regardless of cost

---Impact on Community---

• Demand on food banks to supply goods that can be stored. Some fruits and vegetables but often pasta and other high calorie, high salt and sugar items that have a low comparative nutritional value.
• Food banks and agency provided goods and services not available to all that need them. Inherent inequality in system based on location and community response.
• Growth of many disease-based and agencies, (e.g. diabetics association, heart association, cancer related agencies, stroke association). They often respond with educational programs that promote healthier choices. These are necessary but can NOT be effective if people can not afford to make those choices for their family.
• Ongoing demand for funding from community for the administration and service cost for these disease-based agencies. Additional cost to society.
• Community members and businesses constantly asked to support the network of charities, provide food for food banks, donate to Christmas Cheer Board, clothing for needy, gifts and items for charity fundraising.
• Persons living in poverty not able to purchase food from community businesses. Businesses throw away food or donate excess to food bank. Other unsold products also donated to charities.
• Business lose money on product and respond by raising costs for other customers, laying off staff, moving or closing their business.
• Benefits of this system concentrated for those whom profit from taxpayer based income such as publicly paid staff in welfare system, publicly paid health care professions, health equipment suppliers, drug companies and those persons who are able to benefits from successful charitable campaigns.
• Those who gain substantial benefits are able to spend revenue outside of community and country.

Principle: Maintains the status quo for the greater benefit of a few.

--Philosophical basis for the present system--

• Based on old beliefs poor not worthy of better
• Individual not worthy of respect, dignity
• Value of person based directly on his/her economic contribution
• Assumption that poor are lazy and everyone can get a job.
• Based on lack of knowledge of the real impact of poverty.

We have been spinning the wheel in the same direction for so long it is now spinning out of control.