Many of the students who study with us do practicum placements with inner-city organizations and often this leads to employment. Many continue their studies toward a Bachelor of Arts degree while working. They often find that what they learn in the classroom can help them in their work. They also bring lived experience into the classroom and this further enhances the learning experience for everyone in the classroom.

Khalida Benedictson was a student in my second-year Urban Poverty and Policy course during the winter term. She submitted the following reflection describing how her university studies and her work in the community intersect and how she, her colleagues, and the community she serves are coping in the midst of the pandemic. Thanks Kahlida for giving me permission to post this very honest, heartfelt description of life on the front lines, and how your university studies help you better serve the most vulnerable in our city.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences. The virus has travelled across the world in a matter of months, leaving destruction and fear in its wake. This is especially true for people living in poverty in Winnipeg’s inner city. I recently moved into a permanent administrative position at North Point Douglas Women’s Centre (NPDWC) after completing a student placement and working in their drop-in for the last year. We had already been short-staffed for a long time when the virus hit, and half of our remaining team is now working from home. There are only three of us left at the centre to serve our community, which is high needs at the best of times. Our neighbourhood are extremely food insecure, with many relying on the coffee and toast we offer in our drop-in and the emergency food we hand out when we can to tide them over between food bank days. We have been fortunate to get emergency funding to provide food supports, but we lack the staff and space to fully meet the demand.

            Working at NPDWC has put me on the front line of multiple policy failures, and now on the front line of a pandemic where those failures are even more pronounced. This experience has been heartbreaking, and scary at times. Our facility is closed to the public, so we only have face to face contact with people once a week when we hand out our food hampers, feminine hygiene products, and baby supplies. We started out purchasing, compiling, and handing out 50 hampers per week. We quickly realized we needed to double it. It still is not enough. When we are not open, or we run out of hampers, there are knocks at the door. Some people are so desperate that they bang on the door so violently it seems to shake the building. People yell outside our door, hoping we will open it and let them in. They call us and lash out because they are angry and afraid. They wait outside our door for us to leave to ask us for help. It is excruciating to have to tell people we cannot help them, or that we have run out of supplies for the week. Many of these people receive Employment and Income Assistance (EIA), and are ineligible for the financial supports provided by the government during the pandemic save for increased child tax and GST credits, which will likely be deducted from their EIA budgets. We are one of their few supports through this, and no matter how hard we try we just cannot do enough.

            Many people rely on us to receive their mail and messages from their probation officers, EIA or Child and Family Services (CFS) workers, and other vital services. Since our building is closed to the public, many people are unable to access their messages unless we see them in the hamper line. Some people use our bathroom to bathe themselves and change their clothes. Our community computers and phone are sources of social contact and recreation for folks who do not have access to those things otherwise. Our laundry machines are always booked by people who cannot afford to use the laundromat. All these services have been put on hold, and people sorely need them. Our government’s social policies have failed these people already, and now they are doubly failing them. They are significantly less able to self-isolate and practice physical distancing, putting them at increased risk of contracting COVID-19. They are isolated from friends and family they were previously able to communicate with when they accessed our centre. This is taking a significant toll one people’s mental health, but they have been left behind by the government in this area as well.

            The Province implemented free mental health support via phone during the pandemic – but this excludes some of the people who need it most. People cannot access telephone services if they do not have a phone. No government-run plan is in place to bridge this gap, so NPDWC board members are reaching out to other community organizations to coordinate a plan, if possible. This will take time, however, and we are afraid that some of our participants will be irreparably affected by this. The government has done some positive things, such as quickly implementing social distancing policies and closing schools, but people in poverty have been left behind. This was a common theme throughout the Urban Poverty and Policy course this term, was glaringly obvious to me even before my time at NPDWC. However, my time there and during this pandemic have shone an even harsher light on the provincial governments attitude toward people in poverty. Taking this class has given me more perspective on the social policy that affects the lives of the people I serve. In fact, it has also given me more tools to use when I do support and advocacy work for our participants. I can engage with government departments more meaningfully, as I can now interpret the way they do things as policy-based and have more tools to explain that to participants who may not understand. It also helps me hold them accountable when decisions do not seem to be policy-based, which has led to some moderate success in advocating on behalf of participants. Most importantly, this class has shown me just how much of a failure our social policy is for people living in poverty during this pandemic. It has been difficult to do our job under these conditions, but it has been even more difficult for the people we serve to simply live their lives which is what keeps us coming in to work and tirelessly finding ways to support them—Khalida Benedictson, April 2020.T

Postscript: Mama Bear Clan operates out of the NPDWC. They are on the streets making sure vulnerable people have essential needs. Thanks Mama Bear Clan!