| Barriers
Identified
The Economic Unit
- The amount you
can use as an asset is an issue. You need to build assets to get out
of poverty and you should not be penalized when you do
- The policy to share
accommodations is a barrier - especially for families with young people
who get part time jobs while the parents are on income assistance. Income
is deducted when sharing and if you are in subsidized housing it also
affects the rent
- Cities have more
options than smaller communities
- First nations/different
programs
- Lack of rooming
houses, other rental options - especially for singles
- Low wages - many
entry-level positions do not pay enough to live
Transitional Supports
Wage
Exemption
- The wage exemption
incentive is very weak. It does not encourage honesty; rather, it supports
more underground economy
- Often debt load
is too great to get out from under
- Communities are
often not aware that this policy provides exemptions for some work.
For example, harvesting in rural communities, as long as the ‘client’
will not be eligible for EI benefits, is exempt from the wage exemption
policy
- Often the drive
to get employed is stronger than the support to stay employed
Access
to Childcare
- Access to affordable
childcare - both licensed and unlicensed i.e. age restrictions and subsidy
restrictions
- Day care schedules
do not fit shift work in many cases
Wage
restrictions
- Age restrictions
for daycare are often imposed (no children under 24 months of age)
- Daycare restrictions
are forcing women to use unregistered support, for which there are no
subsidies (forces child care underground)
- Often not affordable
for the poor
- Shift work (e.g.
call centres), limited night care.
- Access to transportation
Transportation
- Transportation
is a big issue. Very costly, especially in transition between income
assistance and work
- Many rural communities
do not have public transportation
- Some rural areas
do not even have taxi services
- Often the poor
hitch hike
- Some Volunteer
Centres offer subsidies for medical travel needs
- Urban areas often
have public transportation, but is very costly to the poor
- Insurance issues
with transporting clients
- “Changing” neighbours/friends
to drive
Health
Care
- Fear of transition
and losing the Health Care support
- It’s not about
not wanting to work
- People with ongoing
health problems (Diabetes, MS)
- Cost of medications,
etc.
|