Don't We Count as People? Saskatchewan Social Welfare Policy and Women's Health

For the past several years, the Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence has conducted and sponsored research examining social assistance policies in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and their impact on women's health. In 2002, the provincial government in Saskatchewan began the first of several phases to redesign social services.

In 2003, Equal Justice for All, with the support of the Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence, conducted a research project to explore how women's health is affected by the policies governing the benefits under the Saskatchewan Assistance Act. This project also examined whether women on social assistance have knowledge of their legal entitlements, if they are treated with dignity, and if they have access to advocates to help them appeal decisions. These three rights are part of the legislation intended to protect women from the causes and effects of poverty.

The participatory research project described in this article was conducted in April 2003 by a team of advocates from Equal Justice for All, a grassroots anti-poverty organization located in Saskatoon. Seven focus groups were held with 43 women living on social assistance in five of the 11 administrative regions of Saskatchewan in April 2003. The participants included single women, married women, mothers and grandmothers providing care to children at home, women whose children were in care, women with disabilities and chronic health problems, and women recovering from addictions. The women were of various ages and backgrounds and lived in rural and urban communities. The participants were either on social assistance at the time of the study or had been on social assistance in the past. In addition to the 43 women, the focus groups included eight advocates who themselves had been on welfare at the time of the study or in the past and four social workers who were not on welfare.

The Impact of Social Assistance Policies on Women's Health

In focus group discussions, the women described the daily reality of their lives and the impact of social assistance policies on their physical and emotional health. The women described how the low level of welfare benefits prevented them from meeting their fundamental needs, including food, housing, health care and transportation.

The participants in this study described the effects of inadequate benefits on their access to nutritious food, which was the basis for their own health and the health of their children. Many people turned to food banks, but food banks were not available in all areas and were not always accessible when needed. Money diverted from food budgets to cover rental costs caused women and their families to go hungry. Women in the focus groups described always worrying about food for their families and themselves.

The women reported difficulties in finding safe, adequate and affordable housing. Some people reported problems with mice and rat infestations and the associated risk of Hanta virus infection as well as poor quality housing with broken steps, unsafe windows and poor insulation. Evictions were also experienced by the participants in this study due to unpaid portions of rent at month's end and the added impossibility of covering the owed portion of the damage deposit within two months. The women in this study confirmed that when they were forced to move, school attendance was disrupted and children fell behind in school.

Women reported health problems that were made worse by inadequate nourishment, cold and damp suites, and the many stresses of living in poverty. Women described difficulties in getting coverage for medications, special diets and medical needs, even when these were prescribed by health professionals. Repeated requests for medical forms verifying lifelong disabilities were experienced as harassing and embarrassing. Some felt that the forms were unnecessary if no change was likely in long-term disabilities. Some women reported that they could not afford to cover the dispensing fees for prescription drugs, the cost of over-the-counter medications or payments when doctors charged them over the department fee to complete a medical report. Women reported that it was almost impossible to get adequate special diet coverage despite doctor verification of need; this made their recovery harder and depression worse.

Several women reported difficulties in accessing medical help because they had no bus fare or no money to hire rides to get to the doctor. Medical travel is covered, but funds are not provided until after travel to appointments has been proven. Some serious health issues were related to the specific circumstances in particular locations. In one community, people became sick when the local water supply was contaminated with Cryptosporidium, yet income assistance workers refused extra money for Pampers for babies with severe diarrhea. They also refused to pay for over-the-counter medications prescribed to replace electrolytes for family members who became ill. In one reserve community, the administration refused extra moneys for safe water purchases despite contamination and discoloration of the local water supply that caused sore throats and damaged clothing.

Women raised concerns for themselves and their teenage daughters that the personal hygiene allowance of $15/person is totally inadequate to cover the extra costs of personal hygiene supplies needed during menstruation. Mothers of infants described that the cost of disposable diapers took their entire clothing allowance.

Women in this study faced additional hardships when their welfare benefits were reduced by the recovery of overpayments or advances. Since benefit levels are already far below the poverty line, any reductions in benefits can cause serious hardships. "Overpayments" occurred when women were able to find small jobs where the pay exceeded their earnings exemption, or they had received some income tax rebate or inheritance that others in society are able to keep. Overpayments occurred when a child was taken into custody and entitlement to the Child Benefit was immediately cancelled. Monthly cheques were also routinely reduced to recover advances that had been requested to buy essential household furniture or seasonal clothing that was urgently needed. In addition, women described overpayments caused by departmental errors as the worst experience-losing precious benefits from subsequent cheques because of circumstances beyond their control.

Redesigning Social Assistance

Legislation governing social assistance mandates the province to grant eligible recipients basic needs, health care needs and rehabilitation needs. Although the federal government provides some funding for social services through the Canada Health and Social Transfer, there are no longer any mandatory terms and conditions governing the distribution of these funds, since the elimination of the Canada Assistance Plan in 1996. Provincial legislation and Saskatchewan Assistance Plan Regulations govern the funding and distribution of benefits for the social assistance program.

Phases I and II of Social Services Redesign took place in Saskatchewan in 2002 and 2003. With Phase II of the Redesign, which took place while this study was being conducted, every individual, including persons with disabilities and elder caregivers, was required to have a case plan to aid him/her towards independence and participation in his or her community through training, work or volunteering. The women in this study viewed this change sceptically and felt that it was unlikely to work without a significant change in the level of income benefits and changes in the workers' treatment of people on welfare. Some women saw this policy as further "blaming the victim" and pushing people away who really need the help.

The women in this study also commented on the need to access information about the full range of benefits to which they may be entitled. While some described positive and helpful interactions with social assistance workers, others described situations where they had difficulty reaching their workers, where their legitimate needs were not acknowledged, where they were not given adequate information about their eligibility for benefits, and where their requests for assistance were denied. The lack of information about available benefits and the lack of explanation for money withheld from monthly cheques led to frustration and feelings of disempowerment.

As well as documenting women's experiences, this study proposes changes to improve income assistance in Saskatchewan. The redesign and implementation of policy can be a collective and collaborative effort, inclusive of the people who have experience with the daily realities of these policies. This research project is intended to contribute to the dialogue regarding policies to improve the quality of life for all and to ensure women's access to justice as recipients of social assistance.

A full copy of the report, Don't We Count as People? Saskatchewan Social Welfare Policy and Women's Health, can be downloaded at: www.pwhce.ca/research.htm, or contact:

Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence

56 The Promenade

Winnipeg, MB

Canada R3B 3H9

www.pwhce.ca

Tel: (204) 982-6630

Fax: (204) 982-6637

pwhce@uwinnipeg.ca

Mildred Kerr, Debbie Frost, Diane Bignell, Equal Justice for All

Copyright Centres of Excellence for Women's Health Spring 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved