Support for the Recommendations of the Standing Committee On Community Services
A letter to the Premier is even more effective than signing a petition.
Feel free to take a copy of this list of issues and write a letter, either
supporting the Face of Poverty Petition or focusing on those issues
which you would like to emphasize:
1. Housing Allowance: The housing allowance under social assistance should be increased
to not less than 85% of the rental market.
2. Telephone Service: Change the Employment Support and Income Assistance Act to include basic telephone service -a telephone is necessary for job applications, health or school emergencies, etc.
3. Wage Reduction: The 70 percent claw-back of social assistance support for each dollar of gross earnings should apply only to earnings above $3000 per year. A clawback
occurs when a person on social assistance earns money, for example, shovelling snow. If $50 is earned, social assistance support is reduced, clawed back, by $35, i.e., by 70
per cent. This is a very high and unfair tax on a person with a low income.
4. Post Secondary Education: The Department of Community Services should allow persons on income assistance to complete a university education without affecting their assistance. Currently, assistance recipients are eligible only for two-year programmes.
5. Written Notice: People on social assistance must have 30 days written notice of changes to their eligibility or support level, with an appeal process completed before changes are implemented. This would avoid being cut-off when the Department acts on incorrect information.
6. Emergency Fund: The Department of Community Services must re-instate the former emergency fund that allowed case workers to supply emergency support. These funds permit a timely and flexible response to immediate needs of clients or new applicants.
7. Review of Employment Support and Income Assistance Act: There should be regular, independent reviews of the ESIA Act, including the appeal process and assistance rates.
Please address your letter to Premier Rodney MacDonald and mail it by April10, 2006, to
The FACE OF POVERTY CONSULTATION
23 Walton Drive, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3N 1X6
We will deliver your letters and copies of our petition to the Premier.
For more details, or to download the petition, please visit
The Face of Poverty Consultation - http://users.eastlink.ca/~lutheranchurch/Poverty.html
| Back to Main |