Summer 2011 A Roof Over Your Head?
Planned Giving
Acknowledgements
FEATURES
Editorial
Letters
Hydro Rate Increases Will Cause Hardship by Jim Quail
Shelters Get People Out of the Cold by Karen O’Shannacery
British Columbians Want Action on Poverty BC Community Living Action Group by Jane Dyson Quest Food Exchange
Bed Bugs 101
OTHER
Congratulations Heather!
Growing Eden
Invisible disabilities and employment
Planned giving: A New Way to Contribute
SPECIAL
Groundbreaking Equipment Co-op Formed by Christine Gordon
Leaving No One Behind:Emergency Planning for the Community
British Columbia’s disability benefit rate of $906 a month (Persons with Disabilities) is now below that of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec,the Northwest Territories and Yukon.
Every day people contact the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities for help accessing provincial and federal disability benefits. Many of the people we see live in sub-standard housing, are homeless or at risk of being homeless. Even when individuals qualify for disability benefits, they struggle to get by on incomes that are far below the poverty line. In this issue of Transition, we focus on homelessness, poverty and the inadequacy of BC’s disability benefits.
Why has homelessness and poverty become such a serious problem in BC and Canada? Two significant policy changes that occurred in the 1990s can help explain this dire situation. In 1994, the federal government withdrew funding support for all new social housing. In 1995, it cancelled the Canada Assistance Plan (CAP), a policy through which the federal government set national standards for social programs, including income supports. Since then, most provinces have allowed their income assistance levels to remain stagnant and not keep pace with inflation.
After visiting Canada in 2007, United Nations Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari stated that “grossly inadequate social assistance rates are trapping many of the lowest-income Canadian households into chronic poverty and inadequate housing.” (United Nations Expert on Adequate Housing Calls for Immediate Attention to Tackle National Housing Crisis in Canada)
British Columbia’s disability benefit rate of $906 a month (Persons with Disabilities - PWD) is now below that of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, the Northwest Territories and Yukon. In the last 10 years, PWD has been increased by only $120: in 2004, the Support Allowance was increased by $70, and in 2007 the Shelter component was increased by $50. During the same period of time, the cost of living in BC has steadily increased. For example, just in the last year, Statistics Canada (April 2011) found that prices went up by 3.1%.
Over the last four years we have continued to speak out about the inadequacy of the PWD rate,particularly as it relates to housing.
In its report The Cost of Eating in BC (2009), Dieticians of Canada estimated that a single person living on PWD needs $971 a month for shelter and food alone to live in BC: $648 for shelter, including telephone (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s [CMHC] 2009 Rental Market Survey) and $323 for food (2009 National Nutritious Food Basket measurement). This amount does not include the cost of clothing, personal care items such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo, health items not covered by the Ministry, transportation costs not covered by the monthly bus pass and any other typical goods and services that people need.
British Columbia is one of the most expensive provinces in Canada to live and Vancouver is generally thought to be the most expensive city, particularly with respect to the cost of housing. One study found that Vancouver has the least housing affordability among 272 cities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. (Demographia: 2010). In October 2010, the CMHC data indicated the cost of a bachelor apartment to be $811 and a one bedroom, $940.
In our Transition housing survey (see excerpts in this edition), 83% of respondents said they used their food money to cover their housing costs. One person commented, “I currently have subsidized housing. This is the only reason my housing costs are covered by my shelter amount from PWD.” Another respondent told us, “All of my bills, telephone, cable, hydro have gone up about $5 each because of the HST. In addition my rent has increased. The amount for rent ($375) is absolutely ridiculous in today’s world! You can’t even rent a room for that amount! Surely the government must recognize costs have gone up and will continue to rise. The disability benefit is inadequate for today’s economy.”
In 2007, the BCCPD produced a paper entitled Who Benefits? How Disability Benefits are Failing British Columbians. Despite the endorsements of more than 170 community groups at the time, we were unable to convince the government to increase the PWD rate to reflect the real cost of living with a disability in BC or to introduce a number of other recommendations, including that the rates be index-linked to the cost of living.
Over the last four years, we have continued to speak out about the inadequacy of the PWD rate, particularly as it relates to housing. In April, we established a working group to renew our previous efforts to convince the Province that disability benefits are failing British Columbians. Our community partners on this project are BC Association of Community Living (BCACL), Canadian Mental Health Association - BC and Yukon Division (CMHA), Social Planning and Research Council (SPARC) and the Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS). We are working on our recommendations and strategy for moving forward on this joint initiative.
BC’s badly needs a poverty reduction strategy that includes better income supports, housing, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. British Columbians want action on poverty and one of the first steps must be to increase the disability benefits rate. Our community cannot wait any longer. We need change now. BACK TO TOP
Dear Transition: I truly enjoyed your latest Transition theme of Taking a Break (Spring 2011). It reminded me of my days with my dog Crackers. As we both grew long in the tooth, he would get tired in the middle of the day and sneak a nap whenever possible: under a table at a restaurant, beside me while driving or at the slightest opportunity.
After some months of this, I realized that he was frisky after his short snooze, so I decided to join him around three o’clock for a nap each day. I awoke after fifteen minutes and felt so refreshed that we continued this “Crackers time” for many years afterwards. I would tell my friends, “Well, it’s about time for Crackers to have his nap now, so I’d better get home. He’s getting older now and needs his rest.” Although I needed the break more than Crackers, I always used him as the excuse to go and lay down with him.
Your article brought back these memories and I thank you for sharing your marvellous advice.
Dennis Robertson, by email
Transition conducted an online survey earlier this year about housing and people living with a disability.
We wanted to know the problems people around BC face finding and affording housing, and surviving on low and fixed incomes.
Over 70 people responded and you will see some survey comments throughout this Transition.
Here are answers to some key survey questions.
Do you receive BC disability benefits (PWD or PPMB)
Do you need to use your food money (support allowance) to cover your housing costs?
Are there times when you don’t have enough money to buy food? If so, how often?
Our sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to do our survey and give our readers some insight into housing and people living with a range of disabilities.
Single Person > $375.00 Couple: One person on PWD > $570.00 Couple: Both people on PWD > $570.00 Two-parent family: One child, one person on PWD > $660.00 Two-parent family: One child, both people on PWD > $660.00 One-parent family: One child > $570.00
If you use your support allowance/food money to help pay for your housing, how do you get enough to eat and pay for the other things you need?
I go without.
I live with my parents. My “rent” goes towards my medication and dietary needs. If I had to pay rent I would starve and my pain would disable me further.
I am blessed to live in subsidized housing. Still, it’s hard to afford good food.
Food bank, Quest, meals from friends, going without most times.
I currently have subsidized housing. This is the only reason my housing costs are covered by my shelter amount from PWD.
I don’t. I drink lots of water and buy the cheapest food.
CMHA has a lunch program and I purchase a lunch card for $24 every month that gives me 9 nutritious lunches. When necessary, I use the food bank.
Working part-time at a job.
I sell things I make or collect cans.
Dumpsters and panhandling.
Usually, I have to find temp work where I can or rely on the charity of my landlord, until I can cover expenses.
Not having habits such as smoking or alcohol use helps greatly. Effective budgeting is mandatory, as I am a recently separated father blessed with sole custody of a 9-month old son. Except for coffee, my needs are few and I have no problem going without to ensure my son has the best products available. I am grateful for what we receive, I have no complaints.
I am newly widowed and find myself robbing Peter to pay Paul.
by Jim Quail
BC Hydro customers are at the start of a long, steep climb in our electricity bills.
The BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre represents community-based organizations across the province, including BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD), who speak for the interests of BC Hydro’s residential customers—especially those with modest incomes.
BC Hydro customers are at the start of a long, steep climb in our electricity bills. Hydro has applied for increases of about 10% a year for the next three years and they expect this trend to continue for a decade. That means rates could double in about nine years.
Some of the increase is unavoidable. Like everything else, generating and distributing electricity costs more today than it did years ago. But most of the increase is the direct result of government policy. That policy aims to take money out of our pockets and into the pockets of corporate friends.
The biggest problem is a tidy little package the government calls “electricity self-sufficiency.” And this does not mean what it sounds like.
Here’s what the government calls “self-sufficiency” really means: far more electricity than we need for our own use, except under the most extreme circumstances. It means “huge surplus.” Under this policy, we are forced to pay enormous prices for power we don’t need and can’t use. And what can BC Hydro do with it? You can’t put surplus electricity in a jar for later use. You have to dump it somewhere.
The government is forcing BC Hydro to buy all that unneeded power from private corporations called “Independent Power Producers” or IPPs. IPPs are private corporations that generate electricity using BC’s streams and wind power, and sell it back to us at a huge profit. BC Hydro is locked into long-term contracts with huge price-tags that continue to rise over time. Not only are we paying huge prices, but this is not a steady, reliable source of power: it depends on stream flows or wind levels. It can be at its strongest when we need it least, and its weakest when we need it most.
Dumping the surplus IPP power means exporting it, mostly into the US market. We are forced to pay $120 a MWh or more, but it is only worth about $35 in the marketplace—and sometimes less than $10. On New Year’s Day, Ontario Hydro was paying out-of-province customers to take surplus power from wind generators off their hands. That’s how bad this picture can get. The cost to us of the power is very high, but its market value can be less than zero.
Meanwhile, the government has ordered BC Hydro to install so-called “smart meters” on every customer’s home in the province.
What we have is an extreme case of “buy high-sell low”–the ultimate in economic folly. We conservatively estimate this will mean a net loss of about $600 million each and every year, all paid for by BC Hydro customers. That’s roughly the equivalent of building a “fast ferry” every eight months and then sinking it.
Forcing BC Hydro customers to pay for unnecessary IPP power not only ravages household finances and the environment, but it also forces BC Hydro to beef up its own facilities. That’s because whenever you add an “intermittent” source of electricity, like wind power, you need a backup source that you can switch on when the intermittent power stops. That means adding new dams, like Site C, and upgrading old ones, and adding new transmission lines to tie the scattered wind and stream power into the system. This adds billions of dollars of cost. And guess who pays for that?
Meanwhile, the government has ordered BC Hydro to install so-called “smart meters” on every customer’s home in the province. This is a billion-dollar expense with very little benefit in return, unless you happen to be one of the big corporations getting rich by installing them.
BC Hydro has given up its attempts to argue that this investment will produce much electricity conservation, so instead they have invented enormously inflated estimates of the amount of electricity stolen by marijuana grow-ops. Aside from the fact that these estimates are not credible, installing smart meters probably will do little to stop theft. Not only can you cable around them like an old-fashioned meter, but people with computer expertise can hack them and falsify the information the meters send back to BC Hydro to hide stolen power.
Immediately after Christy Clark became the BC Liberal Leader and Premier, the government established a review of the huge BC Hydro rate increases. But unless they are prepared to really bite the bullet on the large policy issues (especially self-sufficiency), there is little that can be done other than nibble away at the edges.
Government policies are building huge, unnecessary costs into the system. Only policy changes can stem the tide.
Jim Quail is the Executive Director of the BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre. http://bcpiac.com/
by Karen O’Shannacery
There is nothing more frustrating for a shelter worker than to turn people who are homeless away from our doors simply for the lack of a bed.
Lookout Emergency Aid Society turned away people 4,948 times last year because we didn’t have enough beds. At Lookout, for every two people we take in, we turn three others away.
Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is without a roof over their head. To be turned away from a shelter is devastating; you know it puts you at higher risk. It doesn’t take much to become discouraged. In fact, many people don’t try to get into regular shelters knowing they’ll probably be turned away.
Others don’t want regular shelters. People who survive on the streets have difficulty fitting into the rules and routines that regular shelters have. For example, many regular shelters don’t allow access to beds throughout the day. Or, they are not set up to take in shopping carts or pets. Would you abandon your only belongings or your pet that is your companion or family?
Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT) shelters are open 24/7 during the cold season, adding over 160 shelter beds to a system that is overstretched. These shelters also have few rules and are inclusive: all genders, couples, pets, buggies are made welcome by supportive, dedicated staff. People can access mats or beds at any time and there is a minimum of two meals per day.
By being more inclusive, the HEAT shelters provide an acceptable alternative for people who are street-entrenched and often cope with significant health challenges, including mental illness and addictions. HEAT shelters also have fewer reporting requirements than regular shelters, so shelter users feel they have more control. They can help people connect with the services and housing options that they want, based on the willingness and readiness of the person. And there are no maximum lengths of stay. There are regular shelters that are “minimal-barrier” and offer the same services as HEAT shelters, but there aren’t enough of them. And those that exist have full occupancy and turn people away.
The HEAT shelters are there when people are at highest risk and most vulnerable, and we certainly rely upon them. I am convinced they save lives. We need these shelters to stay open year-round until adequate numbers of supported permanent housing units are created for homeless people. This can only be achieved by all levels of government, the public and community services working together.
Karen O’Shannacery is the Executive Director of Lookout Emergency Aid Socie
Alice Sundberg, Co-Chair, Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness
For the first time in four counts, we counted fewer people than we did in previous years. There was a dramatic decrease in the number of unsheltered homeless people found.
Compared to 2008, we found 54% fewer homeless people outdoors.
At the same time, we can also report an equally significant change in the number of homeless people who are sheltered. Compared to 2008, we found 74% more homeless people sleeping in emergency accommodation facilities across the region.
We believe this year’s count data is evidence that integrated community-government initiatives contribute to better outcomes. There is little doubt, for example, that the low-barrier HEAT shelters in Vancouver played a big part in achieving these results.
by Seth Klein
One of the key messages the PRC has sought to reinforce is that “we all pay for poverty”.
British Columbia, despite having the highest poverty rates in the country, remains one of a minority of provinces without a comprehensive poverty reduction plan.
This reality is what led to the 2009 formation of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition (PRC). The BC Coalition of People with Disabilities is a member of the PRC, as is my organization, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and about a dozen others.
In late 2008, the CCPA published a detailed Poverty Reduction Plan for BC (available at: www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/poverty-reduction-plan-bc). Our BC plan includes specific policy measures to reduce poverty among those with disabilities.
But with a provincial election looming, we didn’t want to merely publish a report. We also brought together a network of organizations that have similarly called for a comprehensive plan with legislated targets and timelines, and we are now formally constituted as the BC PRC [see http://bcpovertyreduction.ca).
One of the key messages the PRC has sought to reinforce is that “we all pay for poverty”. We pay in higher costs for social, community and charitable services, in higher costs to the criminal justice system, in lost productivity and lower school success, and particularly in terms of higher health costs. There is, consequently, a great cost in failing to act.
But the second, and more challenging, key message we have tried to emphasize is that “there is nothing inevitable about poverty and homelessness in a society as wealthy as ours”.
We do this by:
Six provinces now have poverty reduction plans, although most are still fairly new, the exceptions being Quebec and Newfoundland. What their plans and results tell us is that poverty isn’t inevitable– that policy matters.
When we rely only on the market, economic growth and job creation, the results with respect to poverty reduction are weak. That is what we see in the BC case, where we have recorded very low unemployment in recent years (until the onset of the recession), but poor progress on poverty reduction.
When surveying what other provinces have done, a few key common features emerge:
If you question the affordability of a plan, consider this: The total amount of money needed to take everyone in British Columbia who is below the poverty line and raise their income to the poverty line is about $2.4 billion (known as the “poverty gap”). That’s a fair amount of money. But it is about 1.3% of provincial Gross Domestic Product (and in contrast, the cost of poverty in Ontario is estimated to be about 6% of GDP).
Surely, in a province as wealthy as ours, with an annual gross income of almost $200 billion, closing a poverty gap of $2.4 billion should not be seen as insurmountable. Much of the task will fall to government, but the private sector also has a vital role to play, most notably by raising the wages of low-wages workers (as a majority of poor British Columbians are working in the low-wage labour force).
The PRC has been trying to keep the feet of our political leaders to the fire. Even as the government has stubbornly refused to adopt a comprehensive plan, we have persistently demanded one. The call for a plan has now been signed by over 300 organizations across the province–a fascinating and diverse collection of community groups, trade unions, health organizations, United Way chapters, faith groups, municipal councils, Aboriginal groups and some businesses.
And thousands of individuals have also added their names to the call. You can do so too at: http://bcpovertyreduction.ca.
Poverty is not inevitable. We all pay for it. But other places are showing us that when we take focused action, we can get results. But it starts with a plan.
Seth Klein is Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC office. www.policyalternatives.ca.
A recent Environics poll found that:
These results should get the attention of all politicians:
* The poll was commissioned by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and conducted in the fall of 2008.
Can you give some examples of how you economize/manage your money to get by on your monthly income? I have no phone. I rarely turn the heat on, so the house is cold. I do not get my hair cut. I minimize laundry, showering.
I budget my food on a weekly basis and buy what I need at the local grocery store. I have to eat gluten free (I’m celiac), so just eating is very expensive. I buy all of my medication at the start of the pay period, to make sure I don’t run out. I’m lucky because my family gives me a home that I don’t have to pay for.
I don’t go to any entertainment, like movies, concerts, etc. I try to cook most of my food. I don’t buy books or mags. I don’t travel. I rarely get clothing. I count every penny. I have a line of credit to fall back on when I can’t manage to make it through the month. But, then the next month there’s less money.
Eat inexpensive food and often only once a day. You can only “economize” $906 so far after rent and bills.
I’m fortunate to have a best friend who earns a high income and often buys me dinner, worried I won’t eat otherwise. Obviously, I’m extremely lucky and few people have this privilege. Otherwise, I eat a lot of things like rice and use local farmers’ markets and a group-buying program called The Good Food Box which bulk purchases produce locally and sells to anyone at very reasonable prices. I also tend to skip meals often. When I shop, I always shop sales and bulk items.
I try to put $20 away in my bank every month, so that I always have some money in it.
I hope it will be ok every month.
Credit.
I will stay with a friend for a week or two so that I don’t have to buy food, etc.
I am fortunate I am a client of Open Door Group. Once a month, I qualify for a Safeway food voucher. It’s not much, but it buys me groceries for two weeks if I really stretch it.
I wait for my GST cheque every three months to buy food and in between I do without buying food.
Every year, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) presents an award to recognize an individual’s outstanding contribution to Canada’s disability rights movement. This year BCCPD’s Board has chosen Heather Morrison. Heather has been an active member of the disability community for over 30 years. Her many activities include 11 years with BCCPD’s Community and Residents Mentors Program. Congratulations to Heather from all of us at BCCPD for this very well deserved award.
Would you like to:
Growing Eden is a brand new garden space at 57th and Cambie (next to the Farmers on 57th market garden). We are looking for twelve families with low-incomes from the neighbourhood who are interested in learning about the pleasures of growing and eating your own garden harvest.
We will meet Fridays 10 am-1 pm (until the end of September 2011) to plan, plant, tend and enjoy our garden. We’ll harvest from the garden each week and prepare a fresh organic lunch together in our mobile outdoor kitchen. Each family will also take home a harvest box.
Growing Eden is a project of Farmers on 57th and the Community and Resident Mentors Association at BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD). Through the Farmers on 57th project, the 140 residents at the George Pearson Centre grow organic food and flowers, meet fellow gardeners and the community, and build healthy ecosystems.
Any questions? Look up our project at http://farmerson57th.wikispaces.com.
Contact Jen at farmerson57th@gmail.com or leave a phone message at 778-554-9643.
This garden is on the lawn of the George Pearson Centre, in Vancouver Coastal Health land, and is part of the Farmers on 57th program run by the BCCPD. Growing Eden has been generously funded by United Way. The Unitarian Church of Vancouver and The Canadian Housing Federation of BC (CHFBC) are our fantastic program partners. Thank you all!
BACK TO TOP
BC Coalition of People with Disabilities is an expert in Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPP-D) advocacy. We provide:
CPP-D has several advantages over provincial disability benefits. And, recipients may receive provincial (PWD/PPMB) disability benefits in addition to CPP-D in the form of a top-up, if their CPP-D benefits fall below the provincial minimum.
See our CPP-D program page.
Now you can join other readers who have switched from receiving Transition in print to reading us electronically. Here’s how:
Save a tree, save BCCPD money and still receive Transition. A big thank you to subscribers who have already switched!
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Find and follow BCCPD at www.bccpd.bc.ca/links.htm.
Working together to speak out about cuts to community living services by Jane Dyson
Families are feeling they have nowhere to turn for support. Even when they can access services, clients and families are experiencing reduced program choices.
“A roof over the head” of adults with developmental disabilities will be harder and harder to find in coming years. Cuts to community living services have already closed 33 group homes in 2010. Learn about one community response to this housing crisis.
In 2004, then Deputy Premier and Minister for Children and Families Christy Clark introduced legislation (the Community Living Authority Act) that established Community Living BC (CLBC), the provincial crown authority whose mandate is to provide services to adults with developmental disabilities and their families. These services include staffed residential facilities (group homes), home sharing where CLBC clients live with a support provider, and supports for clients who rent or own their homes. Other CLBC programs include respite care, vocational services, skills development and supported employment.
As of March 31, 2011, 13,481 people were registered for CLBC’s services; a 6% increase from March 31, 2010 and a 35% increase over the last five years.* By March 2014, this caseload is projected to have increased by an additional 15%, but provincial government transfers to CLBC will stay the same.**
The impact of this imbalance is already being felt. CLBC has been required to find $22 million in cost savings over the 2010/11 fiscal year and has introduced a “service redesign” program.
In response to these cuts, family and community groups, service agencies and unions came together to form the BC Community Living Action Group (BC-CLAG) [please see sidebar].
In late 2010, BC-CLAG coordinated public community forums attended by over 300 people to share information and develop solutions to this urgent situation. Out of these forums, BC-CLAG produced the report Reaching Out. Weighing In. Participants included self-advocates, support workers, family members and community advocates. The report contains ten recommendations including a call for increased funding to meet the needs of adults with developmental disabilities and the creation of an Independent Officer of the Legislature to improve supports and outcomes for this community through oversight, advocacy,accountability and review.****
In May, BC-CLAG representatives, families and supporters visited the legislature to mark the 7th year anniversary of CLBC. When introducing the Community Living Authority Act in 2004, Minister Clark said that, “This legislation gives British Columbians with developmental disabilities and their families better options and more opportunities in their communities. They’ll be able to look forward to a safer, healthier and better quality of life.*****”
Sadly, these goals have not been met. British Columbians with developmental disabilities and their families have fewer, not more, choices.
In March, BC-CLAG wrote to the Minister Responsible for CLBC, Harry Bloy, requesting a meeting to discuss our concerns and recommendations. We hope to work with the Ministry to ensure that CLBC and their clients have the supports they need. We wrote the Minister again in June to ask for a meeting. We are disappointed that he has not yet agreed to meet with BC-CLAG. We will continue to press for this crucial meeting with Minister Bloy.
CLBC clients are some of BC’s most vulnerable citizens. They have a right to be able to choose the living arrangements that work best for them and to participate in decision making that impacts their lives and their ability to live with dignity in the community. Their safety, well-being and quality of life must come first.
For more on BC-CLAG and to access the Reaching Out. Weighing In report visit, http://communitylivingaction.org/
* Hon. Harry Bloy, Minister of SocialDevelopment: Debates of the Legislative Assembly [Hansard], May 11, 2011 ** CLBC 2010/11-2013/14 Service Plan: February 2011. Pgs.14; 27 *** Reaching Out. Weighing In. BC-CLAG: April 2011: pgs. 6 - 7 **** Ibid: pg.18 ***** Debates of the Legislative Assembly [Hansard] May 19th 2004
According to Community Living BC, the Crown corporation set up to provide services, the amount of funding per client has fallen every year since it was created six years ago.
If you factor in inflation, by 2013 the funding available for each client will be 30% less than it was in 2006. (There is a small amount of additional money for a pilot personalized supports initiative; it doesn’t change the reality of the annual cuts.)
BC Association for Community Living (BCACL) BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD) BC FamilyNET BC Government and Service Employees’ Union Canadian Union of Public Employees Developmental Disabilities Association Health Sciences Association of BC Hospital Employees’ Union Michael Prince of the University of Victoria. Moms on the Move
by Christine Gordon
BC will soon have its first assistive technology (AT) co-operative. Stay tuned to Transition and to BCCPD’s website for the latest news on how the co-op may help you with your AT needs.
The need for better access to assistive technology was clearly identified in 2004 by the Provincial Equipment and Assistive Devices Committee (PEADC), a coalition of more than 40 disability-related organizations in BC, spearheaded by BCCPD.
PEADC developed a new person-centred approach to service delivery called the Participation Model for Personal Supports and has used this model in the new Equipment and Assistive Technology Initiative (EATI) that is funding AT for people throughout BC (http://www.bcpsn.org).
PEADC identified the next step as developing a way to incorporate the Participation Model into a structure that would promote consumer empowerment and potentially greater control over the market for assistive technology. And, on June 1, 2011, the Inclusive Technologies Co-operative (ITC) was born.
This is especially true in BC, a province which has one of the highest rates of disability (16% of the population) in Canada. Of the 687,000 British Columbians with disabilities, 40% are seniors and 54% are adults between the ages of 19 and 64.
Assistive technology is “any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities”.
In 2009, PEADC created a round table called the Personal Supports Council to bring together funders and community organizations to develop a strategic plan. This led to the adoption of a strategic goal to promote the development of a social enterprise—a co-operative—and a Co-operative Development Steering Committee was established to spearhead the initiative.
With the help of funding from the Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI), we:
We found out through community focus groups and an online survey, that there is a strong appetite for a co-op and that there was a committed group of people willing to take on leadership roles, so we gave the co-op the green light to go forward.
The members of our newly-minted Inclusive Technologies Co-operative Board have developed the mission, vision and values for the co-op, developed the rules, and created a logo and soon-to-be launched website.
The co-op will be committed to universal design and full inclusion, and to the principles of democratic member control and concern for the community.
Over the next year, the co-op will work on a number of strategic objectives including:
For more information on how to become a member and a co-op volunteer, please contact us at contact info@itcoop.ca.
Are people who have an “invisible” disability accommodated in the workplace, like someone who uses a wheelchair, for example? Earlier this year, BCCPD had an opportunity to work with two students from the Print Futures Professional Writing program at Douglas College to answer these kinds of questions about employment and invisible disabilities.
Their final report entitled Investigating Workplace Accommodation for People with Invisible Disabilities is available on our website and covers:
Disability research for BC is scarce and we are grateful to Nicole Gottselig and Toby Reeve for their work on this project. Excerpts from the executive summary appear below and the full report, including recommendations, can be viewed at: www.bccpd.bc.ca/research.htm.
Quest helps to provide food assistance to individuals and families in the Lower Mainland through our partnered Social Service Agencies, like BCCPD. Quest encourages a healthy and balanced lifestyle by providing nutritious recipes and encouraging self-prepared meals, using the groceries that are provided in our stores.
Quest operates a low-cost grocery store where clients can shop, by referral only.
Quest’s Community Kitchen serves as a complement program to their low-cost food stores. Using excess food that would have otherwise gone to waste in their stores, the kitchen prepares ready-to-eat meals for individuals to purchase in their stores and for Social Service Agencies to purchase for their clients.
To access Quest’s low-cost food stores, you need to:
To find a partner agency near you, or to learn about other Quest programs visit the Quest website at www.questoutreach.org, call 604-602-0186 or email: info@questoutreach.org.
by Margaret Scott
Thanks to a head-first fall onto concrete, I am writing about the price we pay for accessible parking-both the financial and the physical price.
Accessibility has come a long way since the '70s when I pushed my mother around in her wheelchair. Curb cuts, disabled parking stalls and accessible bathrooms are all a good start in making it possible for people with disabilities to leave their homes independently. But, we still have a way to go.
I have hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) and, like my mother and grandmother, I'm losing my ability to walk and am becoming vulnerable when I'm out in the world. This is not the fault of people who are not disabled. Without rules and guidelines, they have no reason to change and no knowledge of what to do in order to make things safer or more affordable for us.
I was staying in Vancouver for a few weeks in May. The only disabled parking stalls next to my accommodations were owned by a parking company. This meant paying for parking, with no allowances made for my difficulty in walking to the meter, extending time on the meter, walking back and forth to the car, then walking back to the boat where I was staying. I called the parking company to see what other arrangements could be made and, for my first week of parking, they charged $144. The second week I got a "deal" at $118.
The third week, I decided to park for free on the street, about a block from the ramp at the marina. I parked outside a restaurant and that's where I had my fall. I called for help and fortunately someone called 911. Vancouver police and paramedics soon came to take me to St. Paul's Hospital.
The extra expenses that go along with having a disability are exorbitant and there are many people with disabilities that are on limited incomes and don't have extended health care. I don't know yet what the paramedic fees are going to be, plus I needed to pay taxi fare back to the marina. I could have received a parking ticket in the morning, if I hadn't arranged things with the police or hadn't been able to move my car or feed the meter.
If reasonable provisions had been made so that disabled parking was financially accessible, none of this would have happened.
On another day, I had an appointment with a cardiologist and paid for an hour's parking in a lot behind the building. I paid for an hour and the meter didn't allow me to pay for any additional portion of an hour. I came back a bit more than an hour later to my car-which was parked in a disabled parking stall with the placard in the window-and found a parking ticket on the windshield. I emailed the parking company explaining that I wasn't able to get to the car to put more money in the meter, but there has been no response yet. The ticket was for $60, if I paid it immediately.
My disability does not allow me the choice of where I park, how much I pay, nor the ability to pay as I go, so I feel exploited.
Here are my suggestions:
I think these are reasonable improvements, with little cost to anyone. But they would make a huge difference to those of us who have the expenses of disability. It would be a big emotional relief and it would also be safer for people like me, who would not have to be concerned about getting back to our vehicle at whatever time the meter calls for.
This is the poem that BCCPD submitted to a contest in March. We didn’t win the $10,000 grand prize for a poem about a non-profit organization, but we sure had fun thinking about how to express what we do.
We dared to step forward—none of us perfect—on a road of change, Built with dignity, equality, hope—our difference is our strength. Some of us walk, some of us roll—look how far we’ve come. From exclusion to community—we’re all in this together, From darkness into light, we’re turning the corner now. We’re walking to freedom, we’re rolling to freedom—the road is wide enough for all. Look how far we’ve come. Look how far we’ve come.
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The common bed bug is a small, reddish-brown insect. Bed bugs are oval shaped with flattened bodies. The size of a bed bug is 5 to 7 mm, usually no bigger than a lady bug.
Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans and animals to survive. They are most active at night. A bite is similar to being bitten by a mosquito and it may result in a small, red, itchy bump. However, many people have no reaction at all.
Bed bugs cannot fly and prefer to hide close to their hosts when not feeding. Bed bugs can live for up to a year without feeding. They can be found in homes, apartments, hotels, shelters and student dormitories. Bed bugs can also hide on clothing or in luggage when you travel. These can be brought to places like your home or hotel.
The best way to prevent bed bugs is to keep them out of your home in the first place. Ways to prevent bed bugs from entering your home include the following:
Visit HealthLink BC at http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/ for more information on bed bug prevention and treatment.
BCCPD participated as a community partner in The Learning Disabilities (LD) and Whole Life Learning Project based at Literacy BC. The project was completed in March this year. Self-advocacy for People with Learning Disabilities was published by the LD project and is one of a variety of tools to support learning for adults with learning disabilities. Although intended for adult educators and people with learning disabilities, the guide contains step-by-step strategies for anyone needing tips for self-advocacy.
The guide is available here. For more information about the LD project, visit http://www.ldandwholelifelearning.ca.
Do you have specific expenses or money challenges related to where you live? For example, because you live in a rural area or in a particular city or part of a city? Can you describe this for us?
Housing is way more expensive than the housing allowance. Affordable housing seems impossible to get into.
I do not drive and bus service is limited, so I stay home. I live in a trailer and am very worried about how to pay taxes of $288. My CPP Disability is $790.
I live in Sooke and food is expensive. I cannot access big stores more than once a month because I cannot drive and taking a bus increases my pain and disability.
Vancouver is an expensive city to live in.
Living in Kelowna is very tough. The average 1-bedroom is $650 but the housing supplement is $375 which means you have to take a roommate lots of times and that can be trouble, too.
I live in Victoria where housing is incredibly expensive. Although I have subsidized housing, it was obtained when I was a single parent. Now that my child has moved out, I must re-apply as a person with a disability. If I can't get a suitable new unit due to the extreme lack of accessible or even stairless units, I've no clue what I'd do. There is no way I could afford even a tiny suite in Victoria on $375/month inclusive, even with a roommate! I'd be forced to spend from my support amounts, leaving me little left for healthy foods and various medical/personal needs not covered by MSD or WorkSafeBC.
I live in a very small town with no public transit and, what accessible transit there is, my homecare schedule doesn't allow me to take advantage of it.
CPP Disability does not provide a bus pass, so it's difficult for me to get around.
I was born and live in Vancouver. Rent is extremely overpriced in this region. Also, since I have 2 cats my rental choices are extremely limited and I do not qualify for most subsidized housing.
I live in a rural community and if I need to attend medical specialists, I have to travel 2 1/2 hours west or 1 1/2 hours east over mountain passes, either by getting a ride with someone or going by bus. Sometimes I have to stay overnight in a hotel at my own expense for surgeries or appointments. We have limited public transit by appointment and one taxi. Not a lot of choices for consumers.
by Fiona Jackson
Fabien Lavoie | Photo by Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association, Kevin Bogetti-Smith
After an accident ended Aaron Coret's career as a snowboarder six years ago, he applied his engineering know-how to make snowboarding safer for other athletes.
"We create this safe zone where snowboarders can try a new trick or learn how to jump - it's really similar to the real experience." His Landing Pad was used in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It's also featured as one of the "Inventions of the Year" in the June 2011 issue of Popular Science.
The engineering grad has lived in UBC residence for nine years, so when he saw an ad for a co-op in the Olympic Village, he jumped to apply. "It's like the absolute perfect location - my dream location. And right next to Canada Line and B line means I'll be closer to a lot of my friends."
The Co-operative Housing Federation of BC (CHF BC) has created the 84-unit Athletes Village Housing Co-op in one of three buildings kept by the City for affordable housing.
Aaron's not the only new resident with a tie to the Olympics. The fastest man on Canada's national wheelchair rugby team will be Aaron's neighbour in the co-op. Fabien Lavoie discovered the sport while still a teenager in rehab in 1998. He made the national team in the summer of 2002 and now has a list of trophies that includes Paralympic silver and bronze medals from Athens and Beijing and a bronze medal from the World championships in New Zealand.
"We had a very disappointing fifth place at Worlds last year in Vancouver," Fabien says. "But I'm working towards a gold medal in London in 2012."
In 1999, the City planning department published a policy statement with a vision for the Olympic Village's legacy as "a place where people will live, work, play and learn [with] the highest possible levels of social equity, liveability, ecological health and economic prosperity so as to support their choices to live in a sustainable manner."
Sustainability is still in the plan. The Co-operative Housing Federation of BC (CHF BC) has created the 84-unit Athletes Village Housing Co-op in one of three buildings kept by the City for affordable housing. The other two are rental buildings managed by the Federation's property management arm, COHO Property Management.
With features like solar panels and energy-efficient building design, two buildings meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold standard and one of the rental buildings meets LEED platinum. But it's the Vancouver-developed SAFERhome certification that sets a new standard for universal livability.
“I was just blown away–you expect to have to make tons of renovations, but everything is ready to go–beyond any expectations I would have had...”
Patrick Simpson is the executive director of SAFERhome. "It gets rid of the 'gimpification' of disabled housing. When you label housing, you label people who live in it. The City recognized that they could deliver housing that met the needs of people without the disabled language attached to it." SAFERhome standards include 19 criteria that build accessibility options into original construction and make it simpler and more affordable to adapt: larger doors, flush thresholds, placement of electrical outlets and wiring, and wall reinforcements to name a few.
"The features are small things," says Simpson. "But they mean the unit is automatically safer for anyone and adaptable if and when needed."
Brad McCannell, president of Canadian Barrier Free Design was an accessibility consultant for the Winter Olympics. COHO asked him to make sure the 13 accessible units (nine in the rentals and four in the co-op) were user-friendly. McCannell explains, "SAFERhome is a remarkable program - but it's not a disabled program. It's about universal design." Aaron is impressed.
"I was just blown away - you expect to have to make tons of renovations, but everything is ready to go - beyond any expectations I would have had: there's a wheel-in shower, all the kitchen counters allow me to get my legs under, all the outlets are raised, and wiring is set up so if I want electronic blind openers, I can have that - even the door has a low and high peek hole."
"This is really a good news story," says McCannell. "Virtually any other high rise in the city, unless you're a high functioning person, it would be out of the question. You couldn't find a suite that could work. But SAFERhome is about building for everybody."
"Another thing is the community," Aaron notes. "It's something I kind of lack here at UBC. I'm very excited to be part of a co-op.
Fabien has never lived in a housing co-op either, but he looks forward to it. "You know I grew up in small villages and small towns and it's normal to me to know my neighbour; since I've been living in Quebec City that's not always been the case, so it's going to be nice."
Warren Walker moved into the City-owned rentals from an assisted living complex in Burnaby this February. The complex had 24-hour care. Warren was ready for independence.
"Very simply I live in heaven!" Warren says. "I'd like to stay here for a long, long time - I won't go anywhere."
"We shouldn't look at this housing to solve every problem in the city or province," says Armstrong. "There's a huge lack of accessibility, and the need for adequate and affordable housing has to be addressed across all levels of government. But we hope this approach will change design standards and be a start of more inclusiveness, accessibility and sustainability. It will be the start if people insist on it."
"It's like the absolute perfect location - my dream location," says Aaron Coret.
"When you label housing you label people who live in it," says Patrick Simpson, executive director of SAFERhomes. "The City recognized that they could deliver housing that met the needs of people without the disabled language attached to it."
"Virtually any other high rise in the city, unless you're a high functioning person it would be out of the question," says Brad McCannell, president of Canadian Barrier-Free Design. "But SAFERhome is about building for everybody."
"We hope this approach will change design standards and be a start of more inclusiveness, accessibility and sustainability," says Thom Armstrong, executive director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC. "It will be the start if people insist on it."
Fiona Jackson is the communications director for the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC (CHF BC). For more information about the two City-owned rental buildings see: http://sefcrental.com or the Athletes Village Housing Co-op see: http://avillagecoop.com.
Editor’s Note: In March, BCCPD Executive Director, Jane Dyson, met with Co-operative Housing Federation Executive Director Thom Armstrong and Jennifer Standeven, Vancouver City’s Assistant Director of Business Operations to discuss various issues related to the affordability of the Olympic Village, including the availability of rent subsidies for people on low incomes. They explained that because neither the provincial or federal governments support the Village through operating subsidies, the development must generate sufficient revenue to cover operating expenses. As such, the Village needs to charge market rents, or close to market rents, to offset reduced rents. The goal is to increase the development’s affordability over time.
If you could tell government to change one thing about the PWD/PPMB benefit, what would it be?
Cover pain medication through the Pharmacare program.
Doctors should be more informed and let patients know of the available assistance.
In cities like Victoria and Vancouver, there is no safe, decent housing for people on disability pensions. People are starving to keep a roof over their heads—if they’re lucky enough to find someone who will rent to people “on welfare”—that is safe, clean and accessible. Basically, it’s next to impossible for most. Build safe, affordable, accessible housing in decent areas, now!
There needs to be an increase in benefits. All of my bills telephone, cable, hydro have gone up about $5 because of the HST. In addition, my rent has increased. That doesn’t even include the general increase in the cost of food/clothing, etc. For the first time in my life, I am having trouble making it through a month (especially the 5-week ones).
Pay for holistic treatments. The government has no problem shelling out hundreds of dollars in a month for drugs that create more side effects and longer-term medical problems, creating need for more medications in the future. But it won’t help those who choose a more holistic approach to their chronic illnesses.
Raise disability benefits in relation to the cost of living, especially shelter. I get $902 a month and my rent is $817 a month. I am 57 years old and cannot handle change. I cannot find a safe roommate that I am not afraid of and no organization can help me.
I have been on sickness EI since September, knowing that I would not be getting better and that I would need to apply for PWD. Instead of giving me the PWD forms to get ready for when I need to apply for social assistance, I have had to wait until I am totally broke and then wait 4-6 months for a decision on my application.
I would ask the government to create a new application form for people with disabilities. Not to consider only the disability, but also the number of barriers and the challenges that people experience in coping with financial hardships. I would suggest that all people on IA or EI get a transportation allocation, for example.
Please realize that those with PWD status are not invalids, even though people like myself have serious, yet controlled mental health issues that make the most basic tasks, such as going into a Ministry office with crowds, appear insurmountable. Please don’t take this as whining, ok?
Allow more than the $500 income allowance. Also allow higher income allowances for people on PWD benefits who marry.
The BCCPD has a new Planned Giving program. Planned Giving is the opportunity to think ahead about causes or organizations that you may want to financially support beyond your lifetime.
By planning ahead, you can research charities, or have someone research charities for you, that fit your values. You won’t feel rushed or pressured to make a decision and you can ensure that your money is spent in the way that you want.
Through Planned Giving, you can provide a significant future donation without reducing your income today.
You can realize significant tax savings with Planned Giving. For example, stocks, bonds and mutual funds that you may have in a trust can be transferred in your will to a charity and a tax receipt will be issued. A bequest from your estate of cash or RRSPs will reduce the taxes that your estate will be required to pay. Other ways of donating give twofold value: by naming the BCCPD as the beneficiary in a life insurance policy, you do not incur any costs now and a tax receipt is issued when the estate is settled.
You can also download our Planned Giving brochure and Information Sheet here.
Every organization should be prepared for an emergency, but are you? Is your organization prepared to deliver its services to your most vulnerable clients if a disaster hits? How will your organization respond to a large scale emergency?
Since 2006, BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD) has initiated several community-based projects to make emergency planning more inclusive of people with disabilities.
Through our partnership with Volunteer Canada, we have now trained 20 trainers from disability organizations and volunteer centres from BC, Yukon, Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick to deliver our community training in emergency planning for people with disabilities.
The training manual we created, Prepare to Survive–Prepare to Help, is full of exercises and resources for community groups who want to play a role in emergency planning and response in their communities.
The manual can be downloaded at no charge from our website at http://www.bccpd.bc.ca/projects/emergency.htm. You can also see our other manuals and resources on emergency preparedness.
For more information, please contact Karen Martin, Emergency Preparedness Project Coordinator at karen@bccpd.bc.ca or 604-875-0188.
The Social Organization Framework for Emergency Planning: Community Training in Disability Issues project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnership Program – Disability Component.
“The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.”
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Editorial Statement The views and opinions expressed within the pages of Transition are not necessarily those held by the total membership or Board of Directors. The material presented herein is meant to be thought-provoking and to promote dialogue. Transition is a forum to share information within the disability community, and with government and the general public. It is also an opportunity for people with disabilities to display creative talent.
Disclaimer Any firm or company advertising in Transition is for our readers’ benefit and does not constitute an endorsement by the BCCPD.
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Our 2012 CPP Series guides are now available in English, Punjabi and Traditional Chinese.
See our multilingual publications .
9-1-1 and You
Be Prepared
George Pearson Centre, gardens, orchards....find out about a wonderful new project here.
See our Disability Benefits Help Sheets , including new Chinese and Punjabi translations.
And, give us your feedback on our Help Sheets by July 31, 2012, and you'll be eligible to win a $20 gift certificate to Starbucks or London Drugs. Follow the link above and click on 'BC Disability Benefits | Help Sheets.'
BCCPD Online
Open an RDSP
The Registered Disability Savings Plan can benefit people regardless of their income. Learn more.