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Surviving on Hope is Not Enough:
Women's Health, Poverty, Justice &
Income Support in Manitoba
Prairie Women’s Health Centre
of Excellence (PWHCE)
May 26, 2004
WOMEN ON SOCIAL ASSISTANCE SEEK
HEALTHIER LIVING
Respect, better
benefits, information and advocacy will reduce stress and enhance
independence
Women’s
health is harmed by stress created by the welfare system, according
to a study sponsored by the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of
Excellence. The report Surviving on Hope is Not Enough: Women’s
Health, Poverty, Justice and Income Support in Manitoba will be launched
on May 28 in Winnipeg.
According to the
principal investigator Rhonda Wiebe, “In our study the women
described the stress of being dependent on a system that shames and
scrutinizes them, withholds significant information from them, is
inaccessible at critical times in their lives, and blatantly expresses
no interest in understanding the day-to-day factors in their lives.”
The conditions
harm the women’s over-all well-being, and exacerbate the negative
effects of pre-existing mental health issues, physical disabilities
and other medical conditions. Women from several Manitoba communities
were interviewed, including Aboriginal women, women with disabilities
and immigrant women.
Surviving
on Hope is Not Enough: Women’s Health, Poverty, Justice and Income
Support in Manitoba
Media and members
of the general public are invited to the report launch, followed by
questions and discussion.
10:30 AM
to 12 Noon, Friday, May 28, 2004
Women’s Health Clinic Boardroom, Unit A, 419 Graham Ave
(Boardroom on second floor is wheelchair accessible)
The report calls
for improvements in food and housing allowances and funds for children’s
recreational activities.
Participants were unanimous in saying that the welfare system does
not provide adequately for the basic needs of the women receiving
income support.
Participants recommended
that the government provide information more regularly about benefits
and appeal processes and provide access to advocacy through an ombudsman
or Fair Practices Office. An annual assessment was proposed to ensure
clients are receiving the benefits to which they are entitled. The
government was advised to create the working conditions that will
foster positive, supportive interactions between workers and clients.
“Our interviews
clearly showed that income support staff need a better understanding
about the ways to accommodate women with mental health issues, learning
disabilities and physical disabilities,” stated researcher Paula
Keirstead. “The system should be encouraging empowerment and
self-determination.”
Creating new avenues
of opportunity to allow women to become independent of income support
was seen as important by the participants, but they also wanted greater
recognition of their responsibilities to properly care for their families.
The report was
sponsored by the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence
as part of a larger initiative examining social assistance policies
in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, their impact on women’s health,
and women’s access to justice as recipients of social assistance.
The Prairie Women’s
Health Centre of Excellence supports community-based research on the
social factors affecting women’s health in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
To date the Centre has supported over 80 projects dealing with a wide
range of issues, for women from many backgrounds. PWHCE‘s current
research is focusing on Aboriginal women, women living in poverty
and women living in rural and remote areas.
PWHCE studies
are available at: http://www.pwhce.ca/ . There are four Centres of
Excellence for Women's Health across Canada, under the Women’s
Health Contribution Program, Health Canada. The Centres provide opportunities
for community-based women's health groups, service providers and academic
researchers to conduct policy-focused research on women's health.
For more details
or interviews contact:
Rhonda Wiebe,
Principal Investigator, Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 779-4493
Email: rew@shaw.ca
Paula Keirstead,
Researcher, Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 783-2967
Email: paulak@mts.net
Kay Willson, Research
Manager, PWHCE, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
(306) 966-8658 Fax: (306) 966-7920
Email: pwhce@usask.ca
Margaret Haworth-Brockman,
Executive Director, PWHCE, Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 982-6630 Fax: (204) 982-6637
Email: m.haworth-brockman@uwinnipeg.ca
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created May 28, 2004
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