i’m raising my family...
under the poverty line By Racquel Foran
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the one thing that stands out about Cory when you meet her is her laugh. With her head thrown back, the chuckles come easily and often. When you hear her story, her ability to laugh her way through her days seems truly amazing. The mother of four children ages two to 17, Cory falls into the nearly 25 per cent of single mothers in British Columbia who are raising their children in below the poverty line. And if this isn’t challenging enough, her youngest daughter, seven-year-old Montana, has cancer. In a place as notoriously expensive as the Lower Mainland, how does she manage? “It isn’t easy,” Cory conceded, “but I love my kids and I am not jealous of other people’s money.” Adding that, “we manage.” Her ability to manage takes some fine money management skills, a good support network, and a lot of creativity. Cory’s monthly income is derived from a $1,200 monthly Child Tax Credit, $500 quarterly GST/HST cheques, and a combination of work income and social assistance. The maximum she can earn from social assistance each month is $900. Any income she earns from work is deducted directly from her social assistance, so although she tries to work as many hours as her employer will give her, the work never puts her ahead financially. But, Cory explains, “I would rather work for the money. It makes me feel better about myself.” Under her circumstances however, the decision to go to work is a tough one. As any working parent knows, going to work actually costs money. Childcare expenses, transportation, and work wardrobe are just some of things one has to be able to afford before heading off to their job. In Cory’s case, if she were to work full-time hours at the new minimum wage of $10.25 per hour (at the time of writing she is earning $9.50/hr), she would have less than $200 left over after paying the approximately $1600 a month for daycare for her three youngest, and she would no longer qualify for any social assistance. Cory admits she wouldn’t be able to work at all if it wasn’t for the help of her 17-year-old daughter Summer and friends and family. Because she works in retail she is usually able to start work after she has taken Montana to school; a friend that runs a daycare allows her to drop off her two- and three-year-old sons Colby and Jared free of charge. “I can’t use her too often,” Cory admitted, “but she has been a real lifesaver.” Summer usually picks up younger sister Montana after school and
sometimes the boys from daycare. Again, mom doesn’t like to rely on Summer all the time “it’s not like they are her kids,” but Cory is very grateful: “I have such a great kid.” The one thing that Cory admits to sometimes finding difficult is grocery shopping with the kids. “They want the name brand cereals and juices; it is tough to always have to say no.” Despite having to say no so often, she doesn’t use the food bank.“ I did a few times when Summer was a baby, but I would rather leave it for people who need it more than me.” She does, however, admit that the vice-principal at Montana’s school has occasionally provided her with breakfast when the cupboards at home have been bare. The one extravagance they have is a van. Many people have told Cory she should give up her vehicle because of the expense of operating it, but she feels she really couldn’t function without it. “There have been regular trips to Children’s Hospital with Montana, I live in Surrey and work in Coquitlam, and have four kids. Getting where I need to be on time would be very hard without the van,” Cory explained. It is clear upon meeting Cory’s four children that they are well taken care of; they are full of energy, their clothes are clean and their cheeks rosy as they race around Bear Creek Park in Surrey. Cory holds out her arms as if to embrace her surroundings and says, “This is our entertainment. It is free and it is fun. I love this place.” And again, she throws her head back and releases a contagious laugh, proving that money isn’t everything.
Additional Resources PovNet is an online anti-poverty community that provides resources, information, and news about poverty issues across Canada. www.povnet.org The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society This non-profit provides food for those in need from 15 depots throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and the North Shore. www.foodbank.bc.ca/programs/food-depots
28 WestCoastFamilies.com
BC Poverty Reduction Coalition A coalition of 30 members and over 350 supporting organizations this group is dedicated to a campaign that encourages a comprehensive poverty reduction plan from the BC Government. www.bcpovertyreduction.ca/about-2/about-2 BC Housing BC Housing provides a variety of supported housing options for those most in need in our province. www.bchousing.org/aboutus/activities