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Poverty haunts our children

Manitoba, B.C. have the most poor kids

By: Kevin Rollason

25/11/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 85

Taryn McLean has lived in poverty her whole life and now her son faces the same future.

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Taryn McLean has lived in poverty her whole life and now her son faces the same future. (JOE.BRYKSA@FREEPRESS.MB.CA )

Taryn McLean has faced poverty during all of her 20 years on this planet.

McLean said she was born into poverty, stayed in poverty when she left home at age 12 and continues to live in poverty as a single mother with her two-year-old son.

McLean said she believes her already bleak financial situation will become even more challenging after her child was diagnosed with autism about two weeks ago.

"Right now I'm stuck in the cycle of welfare, which is fend for yourself," she said on Tuesday during the release of a report on child and family poverty by the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg.

"I have to live with what I can get... I know I am fortunate to have the help I do and it is something, but I can't advance anywhere right now."

Ironically, McLean was born the very year the federal government passed an all-party declaration pledging to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000.

Twenty years later, 15 per cent of Canadian children live in poverty.

And here in Manitoba, the province has regained a dubious distinction it has held nine of the last 20 years: it is the child poverty capital of Canada.

The SPC report says 18.8 per cent of the province's children -- or almost one in five -- live in poverty. That's tied with British Columbia.

The report also says almost 40 per cent of children in Manitoba have lived in poverty during at least one of the last six years.

McLean said that has been her life and it is now her son's.

"My mom worked full time to look after myself and older brother," she said.

"We lived paycheque to paycheque. My mother said before she would pay the hydro bill we had to spend a couple of nights without electricity or heat."

McLean said her mom went back to school and began earning money as a nurse, but she continued to live in poverty when she left home.

"I went out on the streets. I was couch surfing and panhandling. At 17, I was pregnant and I went on welfare.

"My son was born into welfare, into a mice-infested apartment. He's two now and we're still in poverty."

Billie Schibler, the province's children's advocate, said "poverty is alive and well.

"In Manitoba, we are rated highest in poverty and the highest number of children in care per capita.

"Nobody chooses to live in poverty... no one wants their children to be hungry."

Former MP and lieutenant-governor John Harvard said he was a federal politician when the all-party declaration was passed.

"It was well-intentioned but unrealistic," Harvard said.

"There were no timelines and no targets... you need bite-sized chunks."

Noting the SPC recommends reducing poverty by 50 per cent in the next 11 years, Harvard said "that's more realistic, but it will still be hard."

Donald Benham, SPC's senior associate, said there are 47,000 Manitoba children currently living in poverty.

"If one child is too many in poverty, 47,000 Manitoba children living in poverty is way too many," Benham said.

The SPC report makes several recommendations, including having the province boost the minimum wage to $11 per hour from $9 and having the federal government reduce poverty by 50 per cent.

But, in a later interview, Family Services Minister Gord Mackintosh said using their indicators, which include graduation rates and addition of more affordable housing units, the province has the third-lowest child poverty rates in the country at 10.1 per cent.

Mackintosh said that as part of its All Aboard poverty reduction strategy, the province is working on a set of measures for poverty that everyone can agree on.

"We have lifted 28,000 children out of poverty, but there are still 25,000 children in poverty or one in 10," he said.

"By any measure, there are too many children living in poverty."

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

 

Poverty in Manitoba:

Manitoba and British Columbia have the highest rates of child poverty in Canada at 18.8 per cent, higher than the national average of 15 per cent.

Almost 40 per cent of children in Manitoba have lived at least a year in poverty in the last six years.

68 per cent of aboriginal children below the age of six lived in poverty in 2005.

Almost seven in 10 Manitoba children live in poverty, even though a family member works full time.

Families with a single mother take home an average of $7,700 per year below the threshold of poverty, meaning if they need to earn $26,972 per year to get out of poverty, they are making $19,272 per year on average.

 

-- Source: Social Planning Council of Winnipeg's Child and Family Poverty Report Card

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 25, 2009 A3

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85 Commentscomment icon

Her Mom worked & put herself through school to be able to support her & her children & to this day she still has a full time job, she's not on welfare. She had her share of trouble but always put her children first. Taryn's grand parents & great grandparents helped to ensure that their needs were met. Taryn didn't come from a poverty stricken family, she had a good home, a bed to sleep in (didn't have to share a room), food & clothing, everything a child needs. Taryn chose to drop out of school & run away, Taryn had a choice to try and stay with other family members but chose not to. Taryn chose to have a child while on welfare. Taryn still chooses not to get her education to better herself so that she can find employment to support her & her child.

As a former young, single parent I understand the struggle clearly.
However, I viewed assistance and MB housing as mere stepping stones. Neither are meant to be permanent solutions and that's where you either make the difficult choice of working and or educating yourself to get out of your present situation.

What employment options are available to those who require quality, affordable child care, where are the spaces, and all hour time slots available that employers demand of their employees?
Now imagine yourself as a single parent whose child has fallen ill therefore requiring you to remove them from child care, be away from work perhaps for an extended period of time.

You lose your job, the onslaught of bills, you're on tenuous ground again...
Your self worth, your lack of self sustainability, and all those judging eyes on the bus, on the sidewalk, and at the doctors' office because you want to afford a warmer jacket for your child and proper transportation are either going to empower you or drag you back where you belong - in poverty.

It is far too easy to stay dependent on a system that dictates how much you can spend on your child or limit your address options.
As it is easier for taxes to rise then it would be to re-evaluate and reform the welfare cycle.

On the other hand i'm not saying Manitoba should do nothing. There are clearly problems and Manitoba should do more to educate those able to support themselves and help out those who are not (disabled, etc.).

I am simply not in support of charity work to benefit people who could help themselves but choose not to. If there were a way to get money directly to kids to make sure they are cared for and don't suffer through the hardships of poverty, i'd be in favour of that. I worry about the situations where needy kids are at the mercy of parents to make good decisions and not spend handouts on frivolity.

She's saying that she didn't choose to live in poverty, but that's not really the case. You make many choices everyday.It's the choice to smoke, to drink to have a coffee everyday. People have to realize, if you can't afford it, you can't afford it.

You can apply for aid and get your ged or some kind of certification. Better yourself, educate yourself and work hard. Get full use out of your things instead of wrecking stuff and buying new. Cut corners so you can support yourself, and importantly, your kid.

Like other posters said, having a kid is a choice too. If you can't afford it, you should be more careful not to have one. It's not fair to anyone.

Plus, why was she on her own at such a young age? Did she leave home or do something to get kicked out? It sounded like her mom was trying to support her best she could. You chose to be worse off.

It's clear that poor choices were made. Spend less money on hair dye and more on the essentials to support yourself and your kids so the rest of society doesn't have to. I know i'd hate to be a burden to everyone else when i'm capable of working and contributing to society.

Hey supergurl, and if they don't comply to your high school standard then what? Let them starve and die? Grab a brain, seriously, I think you need to think deep down why we have a welfare system.

And...which one of us is going to try to help this girl? Give her a job, mentor her, offer to babysit one day a week, whatever?

I haven't read all the comments on this article, but doesn't anyone understand that yes, some people can rise above, but a lot of the problem lies in the upbringing by parents. Some people have the strength and the drive to strive for success no matter where they came from, but it you've never been taught the value of goal setting and if you've never had someone make you feel good about your accomplishments, you might feel that welfare is all you deserve or that you aren't 'good' enough to live any other way. I was a single mom once upon a time, and I worked hard, educated myself and did ok, but I was also taught that as a kid and had pride that was instilled in my by my parents and other family and friends...it's what I knew. Not going to lecture on how I did it and where I am now, but I won't judge either. We don't know all the circumstances with each individual on welfare. There are many factors.

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They really do give welfare to anyone and half the time they don't even look into their life to see if what they say is true.
My mother decided to move from the country to the city she then went on welfare claiming she had my son (so she could get money). He wasn't with her and I even moved to the opposite side of the city where he was attending school, they didn't even look into that. It was to the point where welfare was trying to get me to pay child support to my mother!! I was also getting child tax and I claim him on my taxes!! How did that happen? It is a poorly put together system!

I love the report- One government official says we arent at 18% but if we look at the figures differently, we are only at 10%. He might as well say, if we don't count the aboriginals then we would be at 5%.Blaming the girl's for not keeping their legs crossed, is always good! Politicians will eradicate poverty by the year 2000 is an unfair criticism, as we all know they were pre-occupied with the computer crashing problem, that consumed more money than was needed to get everyone out of poverty!
The politicians announced today that they were going to seasonally adjust the poverty level rate to $1000 for a single mother with 12 children, thereby eliminating poverty completely!

Where is the Father of this child? Take a DNA test and enforce him to pay child support. Put in place Laws that require High School upgrading before Welfare cheques are blindly handed out month after month.

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