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So, a work conference made me tear up...
Nov. 9th, 2010 11:56 amThis morning was our Ministry's Meet and Greet and part of it was the United Way segment, with a presentation on where the money goes and how it helps and such. There was also a speaker, a gentlement who manages various shelters and has been involved in United Way for some time. As part of his talk, he told us a story, about a client named "John".
John was found almost 18 years ago on a street corner in February, the coldest time of the year here in Canada. He was about six foot tall and weighed 135 pounds (about 62 kg). He'd previously tried to kill himself and (only just) failed, and upon his release from hospital he wound up on the streets, depressed and homeless and intent on succeeding on killing himself the next time he tried. He was brought into the shelter and even the workers there thought his prognosis was grim.
Amazingly, John pulled through. They got him cleaned up and fed and into counselling, where they discovered that he had several degrees, including an undergrad in Journalism at Ryerson and a law degree from a university in the States. He had spent time in the States working on their employment tribunal as an adjudicator - basically an administrative judge. He had had an office on the 50th floor of College Park in the legal district of Toronto. Then he'd suffered depression, tried to kill himself and wound up on the streets.
With the help of United Way, John went back to school. He got a place to live. He got a job in the private sector, but eventually moved back into social services. He got married, reconnected with his adult children in the States and is the father of a nine year old daughter. He does talks for the United Way and works as a shelter manager.
Yep, our speaker was "John".
The thing that hit me most was how easy it was for him to wind up homeless, desperate and alone. It wasn't because he was lazy or had come from a long line of welfare recipients or was an alcoholic or drug abuser. He suffered a break down and had no-one there to help. And that sort of thing can happen to anyone.
Which is why I get so angry sometimes when I see people, particularly right wingers, demanding cuts in services because we're 'coddling' the poor. That they aren't trying hard enough to find a job or get a place to live. Did you know that 40% of people in Ontario who stay in shelters are the "working poor"? They have jobs, but their wages are so low they can't afford housing. How can this be 'coddling'?
I was brought up in a country where our taxes go towards a public health and education system. Everyone has access to the minimum of care and education. It's not enough, sometimes, but it's more than a lot of other countries, so called "First World" countries offer. They cite "user pays" as a "fair" system. The thing is, what happens when you lose your job? With the economy the way it is, it's not so unlikely any more. What happens if you get seriously ill and run out of insurance? What happens if you can't work any more?
To me, the responsibility of a government is to protect its citizens, but not just from external invasion. It's to protect them from poverty, from illness, from ignorance. Government has a responsibility to ensure that every one of the people in its care receive equal treatment in terms of access to health care, education, housing and employment. That's what taxes should be for, providing infrastructure and ensuring there's a safety net for people like John. And if that makes me a stinking Socialist/Communist, then so be it.
John was found almost 18 years ago on a street corner in February, the coldest time of the year here in Canada. He was about six foot tall and weighed 135 pounds (about 62 kg). He'd previously tried to kill himself and (only just) failed, and upon his release from hospital he wound up on the streets, depressed and homeless and intent on succeeding on killing himself the next time he tried. He was brought into the shelter and even the workers there thought his prognosis was grim.
Amazingly, John pulled through. They got him cleaned up and fed and into counselling, where they discovered that he had several degrees, including an undergrad in Journalism at Ryerson and a law degree from a university in the States. He had spent time in the States working on their employment tribunal as an adjudicator - basically an administrative judge. He had had an office on the 50th floor of College Park in the legal district of Toronto. Then he'd suffered depression, tried to kill himself and wound up on the streets.
With the help of United Way, John went back to school. He got a place to live. He got a job in the private sector, but eventually moved back into social services. He got married, reconnected with his adult children in the States and is the father of a nine year old daughter. He does talks for the United Way and works as a shelter manager.
Yep, our speaker was "John".
The thing that hit me most was how easy it was for him to wind up homeless, desperate and alone. It wasn't because he was lazy or had come from a long line of welfare recipients or was an alcoholic or drug abuser. He suffered a break down and had no-one there to help. And that sort of thing can happen to anyone.
Which is why I get so angry sometimes when I see people, particularly right wingers, demanding cuts in services because we're 'coddling' the poor. That they aren't trying hard enough to find a job or get a place to live. Did you know that 40% of people in Ontario who stay in shelters are the "working poor"? They have jobs, but their wages are so low they can't afford housing. How can this be 'coddling'?
I was brought up in a country where our taxes go towards a public health and education system. Everyone has access to the minimum of care and education. It's not enough, sometimes, but it's more than a lot of other countries, so called "First World" countries offer. They cite "user pays" as a "fair" system. The thing is, what happens when you lose your job? With the economy the way it is, it's not so unlikely any more. What happens if you get seriously ill and run out of insurance? What happens if you can't work any more?
To me, the responsibility of a government is to protect its citizens, but not just from external invasion. It's to protect them from poverty, from illness, from ignorance. Government has a responsibility to ensure that every one of the people in its care receive equal treatment in terms of access to health care, education, housing and employment. That's what taxes should be for, providing infrastructure and ensuring there's a safety net for people like John. And if that makes me a stinking Socialist/Communist, then so be it.
