SOCIAL ASSISTANCE TODAY:

By CARL RUSH

n this ‘affluent’ society of
j ours, the problems of the
destitute are given as little
Publicity as possible by fed-
eral and provincial govern-
ments. There are many groups
that make up the impoverish-
€d section of our people, but
in this article we will deal
mainly with the recipients of
Social assistance.

The picture we will give
of the plight of a large por-
tion of our population, has
been brought about by the
policies of Liberal, Tory and
Socred governments, all of
whom have had “stable maj-
orities’’.

* * *

Since World War Two the
ranks of destitute men and
women have been continual-

ly growing. To those who are -

ill and destitute, and those

‘who are able to work but are

unemployed and_ destitute,
the government was forced to
Provide- some “assistance”
legislation.

This legislation is known as
the Sociaj Assistance Act.

What is the Social Assist-
ance Act?

How do people live on this
assistance?

What about health protec-
tion of destitute families?

What must be done to im-

prove this situation?
* ~- *

The Social Assistance Act
Was passed by the Legislature
in Victoria in 1945 and has
been subsequently amended.
It covers financial assistance
to the destitute as well as
Other forms of help to the

. Sick and needy through vari-

Ous organizations and institu-
tions.

' The act states it will “pro-
Vide necessities essential to
Maintain or assist in main-
taining a reasonably normal
and healthy existence.” The

partment of Social Welfare
administers the act. Each area
Of the Province has its oven
Local Regional Administrator
and staff.

Social allowance is provid-

~ €d for in federal and provin-

Cia] acts in which every indi-
Vidual, single or married, with
or without dependents, medi-
Cally fit or unfit is entitled
to apply for and be granted
Social assistance if he or she

's “in need.” This means that.

€ person has to be unem-
Ployed with little or no in-
Come and have capital assets

of less than $250.00 if single
and less than $500. if he has
dependents. If he is in receipt
of unemployment insurance
this does not bar him from
claiming social allowance if
the unemployment insurance
is less than he would receive
under the present social al-
lowance scale.

The “fund” is contributed
-to by the federal government

(50%), provincial government —

(40%)
(10%).

and municipalities

* * *

What is the extent of the
growing impoverishment of
men and women in British
Columbia today? If you will
note the box with this article
you will see the number of
recipients of social allowance
in only ten of the larger muni-
cipalities of B.C. The picture
is the same in all centres of
the province. Figures are for
the municipalities and do not
include the surrounding re-
gion, which brings the totals
up much higher. For example,
Nelson municipality showed
339 recipients in 1962; but the
Nelson region has 1085 recip-
ients.

As for ALL regions and
organized and _ unorganized
territories in British Colum-
bia here are the totals: As of

March 1960, 40,708 recipients; _

as of March 1962, 64,426 reci-
pients. The 1952 group in-
cludes 11,882 heads of famil-
ies 35,785 dependents and
16,758 single recipients.

You will note that
srend is upwards in destitu-
sion. Socia] welfare cases
alone amount to about 5% of
she total population of B.C.

It is estimated that there
are over 350,000 social assist-
ance cases across the coun-
TV.

* * *

In 1958 the Community
Xhest and Council made a
study of social assistance pay-
ments related to the cost of
living. They showed that it
was impossible to “relieve des-
titution and suffering” with
those payments, and proposed
a substantial increase.

The Socred government act-
ed with characteristic speed
in such matters and in April
1961 they raised the payments
to their present rates.

“The increase was about
50% less than the Community
Chest and Council had propos-
ed,’ commented Mr. Basil

the

grant

New Westminster -
Chilliwack (Township)
Maple Ridge
Penticton ______
_ Prince George
Trail

B.C. Social Aid picture

(Number of registered cases)”

aes 9,017 14,785
mee 4.503
ee KY) 2,419
ao oA 1,677
751 1,101
SS aeae 1.084
551 925
377 802
a ee 686

ES
L_ == =* IN MAJOR POPULATED CENTS

March, 1960 March 1962

eo

Robinson of the Council. The
government simultaneously
reduced medical coverage in
some social assistance cases.
They thus gave with one hand
and took back with the other.

Let us take three examples
of what recipients are allow-
ed: For single person — $66.
per month; couple with one
child $125.40; couple with
two children $147.00.

funds available to the Depart-
ment of Social Welfare, the
large number of dedicated
people who attempt to serve
those in need of assistance are
very restricted in their ef-

- forts. The department is un-

derstaffed and the in-service

training of personnel cannot
be said to meet the require- .

ments today.

Vancouver. jobless line up for their daily handout. Top photo
shows the men entering the Franciscan Sisters of Atonement,
385 E Cordova, for their sandwich. Centre shot shows the
long lineup which (bottom) stretches down the street and
into the lane.

The Local Regional Admin-
istrator has the authority to
supplementary allow-
ance for rent, fuel, dietry ex-
tras, clothing, emergency
health allowance and_ for
moving or being evicted.

What with these rates and
the present inadequacy of

W.

LAN Winnington, Berlin cor-
A respondent for the British
Daily Worker, reported last week
that ‘‘West Germans are migrat-
ing in increasing numbers to the
German Democratic Republic to
escape from rising prices, soaring
rents, unemployment and tighten-
ing restrictions.”

ane e tate ete e

In his dispatch he said: |

“In the first month of this year
West Germans who moved East to
the GDR averaged about 200 a
week. The figure now is 500 and

What is the medical cover-
age for recipients who ate
physically unable to work,
and their dependents? If you
are medically, unemployable
you are NOT eligible for med-
ical services for three months.
If at that time you are still
unfit and are on social assist-

Germans move East

still going up.

“ ‘Authoritative quarters in-
Bonn do not deny a growing mi-
gration,’ the West German Rhein
Zeitung said recently. Bonn was
aware, it said, that a new recep-
tion home for migrants has been
built and another one enlarged.

“Most of these West Germans
entered the GDR ostensibly to
visit West Berlin. Somewhere
along the 110 miles between West

agazine Section

shocking situation

ance, then you may receive
retroactive payment of doc-
tors’ bills and hospita] insur-_
ance within that period. You
must pay the dentist, optician
or druggist bills. If after three
months you afe still on social
assistance, you are covered
for all the above mentioned
items.

If you are able to work but
are unemployed, destitute,
and on assistance, you are out.
of luck. You and your de-
pendents have NO medical
coverage whatsoever and you
must fend for yourself. In the
event of family sickness, your
only recourse is to try and
get credit. This section applies
as long as one is on social
assistance, This inhuman sect-
ion was brought in by the

government in- Victoria in
Jan., 1961.
* * Be

The Social Assistance Act
provides for any applicant to
appeal any decision made in
his case. All three members of
the Board of Appeal are di-
rectly concerned because two
of them are employees of the
department and the other is
appointed by the municipal-
ity.

As they are constantly un-
der pressure to keep costs
down, it is easy to see that
justice could get a rough
going over. However, if an

,applicant deems a decision

wrong, he or she should ap-
peal in any event and fight
for justice.

If an unemployed organi-
zation exists in your commun-
ity, it can always be called
upon to give assistance in
the hearing. If an unemploy-
ed organization does not ex-
ist, then one should contact
the local trade union organ-
ization.

Urgent steps are needed

now to relieve the suffering
of thousands of destitute and

desperate men, women, and
children. These are:

@ The immediate raising of
social assistance payments to
a level that meets today’s high
cost of living and provides a
normal and healthy existence.
@ Reinstatement of full med-
ical, dental, oculist coverage
for all social assistance cases.
® Federal Government must
provide more funds for the
training of personnel of Soc
ial Welfare and for giving
greater assistance to the
needy

‘socialist part of Germany.”

While there has been a sharp
rise in the cost of living in West
Germany, prices have remained
relatively stable and food has
been in good supply in the Ger-
man Democratic Republic. Offi-
cial figures issued in Bavaria,
West Germany, show that food-
stuffs went up as much as 45
per cent.

“Dr. Adenauer’s propaganda is
slipping, along with the myth of

Germany and West Berlin they the ‘economic miracle’,” says
asked to be allowed to live in the Winnington. :

April 11, 1963—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5