[Canada] Poverty Myths

from The Hamilton Spectator

On Friday, the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction reveals its community plan after a year of study and discussion.

In preparation for it, The Spectator is presenting a daily exploration of poverty in Hamilton and commonly-held beliefs about its causes and also its consequences.

MYTH TWO:

"THE POOR WILL JUST SPEND THEIR BENEFIT CHEQUES ON BEER AND POPCORN"

Of course, drug and alcohol abuse, problem gambling and just plain bad decisions can land people in poverty, (although divorce or the death of a spouse are probably more common causes). But the image of the poor as rampant partiers doesn't wash.

Social workers say drugs, alcohol and mental illness hit hardest within a small subgroup of the poor: the homeless.

What about welfare recipients? In 2000, the Mike Harris Tories announced mandatory drug tests for those on social assistance.

Toronto, Hamilton and countless social agencies opposed the idea. It never went through, and vanished with the Liberal change in government.

But at the time, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) explored the issue. First, it said, drug-use data is notoriously sketchy due to self-reporting. (It's likely higher than data show.) But among Ontario adults:

* Booze is the most common drug, used by 80 per cent

* 8.6 per cent used marijuana

* 4.6 per cent used cocaine

For welfare recipients, the CAMH said data is rare. U.S. studies show their use is comparable to those not on welfare; higher rates for women on welfare were found in one 1994 study.

A 1990 Ontario study found people in subsidized housing actually had lower drug use than those not in subsidized housing. And if the goal is to get people working, drug use is a poor indicator of employability: seven of every 10 drug-users already have jobs.

JUST WHO IS POOR, ANYWAY?

Here's a look at poverty in Hamilton by population group:

Total population: 20 per cent are poor

Children (0-14): 24 per cent

Seniors (over 65): 24 per cent

Lone-parent families: 56 per cent

New immigrants (1996-2001): 50 per cent

Disabled people: 29 per cent