‘We feel betrayed’: Disability community says provincial budget ‘disappointing’
Colin and Marty Stephenson got a call this week that left them feeling stressed and betrayed.
She was told that funding for the day event, in which her 24-year-old daughter Abby participates, had been completely cut from the provincial government budget.
Abby suffers from a complex form of epilepsy and requires around-the-clock care.
She usually attends various Club Inclusion events from 9am to 4pm
Her mother says participating in day programs provides a respite for the family and gives Abby a sense of socialization, community, and belonging.
“It’s really unimaginable to be in a situation where something so fundamental to Abby’s quality of life is at risk,” he said.
Complete cut in club funding
Club Inclusion has been in existence since 2008 and is a part of the Prescott Group, an organization in Halifax that works with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Group CEO Alice Evans says that although the impact of the cuts is still difficult to tell, they will move forward with it and continue programming.
“The day programs have been cut by 10 per cent overall and funding for the Club Inclusion Day program has been cut completely,” he said.
“There have also been some reductions in our salary base.”
The provincial budget includes cuts to a variety of programs affecting people with disabilities, their families, caregivers and the organizations that support them.
Those in the disability community say the province’s most vulnerable people are being disproportionately harmed, and they are calling on the Progressive Conservative government to reverse the proposed changes.
Premier Tim Houston says There are no plans to adjust the budget.
Abby’s father Colin says the cuts mean organizations and groups will have to work harder to “maintain the level of service” to the community. He says that his success should not be measured by money.
“It’s measured by how they care for the most vulnerable and in this aspect, in this moment, in this decision, our government has failed us and we feel betrayed,” he said.
The Stephensons say they are fully prepared to care for Abby until she is 70. But it’s an “untenable reality” and she doesn’t trust the province to help care for her daughter at this time.
“We’re not going to be here forever and not knowing how the province is going to take care of him, that’s something we’re constantly worried about and anxious about,” said Marty Stephenson.
wrong direction adjustment
Kari Robertson’s son Graham, 44, also participates in day programming with Club Inclusion.
She’s anxiously waiting to learn how cuts to Disability Assistance and Carer Benefits will affect her — a $400 monthly stipend available to seniors with disabilities and people who care for adults.
Robertson said these provincial budget cuts are “absolutely reprehensible.”
“I don’t understand how you can go after a vulnerable population like this and not think twice about it, and take so much from them all at the same time,” Robertson told reporters at Province House on Wednesday.
Robertson was in the legislature for a press conference with NDP Leader Claudia Chander to highlight cuts to the caregiver benefit, which faces a 20 per cent cut.
Chander said adjustments to that program’s budget should be in the opposite direction; He introduced a bill Wednesday that would double the benefit to $800 and increase annually at the rate of inflation.
Robertson’s family has been receiving carer benefit since its inception 16 years ago. His son was diagnosed with a complex form of epilepsy at the age of 4. She gave up her career to stay home and take care of him.
Robertson said carer benefits had made a huge difference, helping to offset some of her lost income.
“More than that, it told me that the government really cared about me and valued what I was doing,” she said.
“When I heard about the brutal cuts to this program, we were immediately alarmed, concerned, and frankly very angry.”
There has been no change in benefits since it was implemented and Robertson said he had asked the government for an increase five years ago, to no avail.
“As long as we can breathe, walk and take care of him, he’ll be in our home. But it’s getting harder and harder and more expensive to do all that.”
no clear answer
It is unclear how the $2.5 million cut to caregiver benefits will be implemented. Whether the per capita amount will be reduced or eligibility changed, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Barbara Adams couldn’t say.
“As soon as we have those details, I’ll certainly be happy to share them with you,” Adams told reporters at Province House. He said he expected to say more after the legislature rose.
Adams said she understood the concerns of families, but “difficult decisions had to be made” as the province faces a $1.2 billion deficit.
Jenny Theriault, executive director of the non-profit group Caregivers Nova Scotia, said the reduction in caregiver benefits will be felt immediately.
“When caregivers struggle or become exhausted, the impact ripples outward, increasing the pressure on home care, hospitals and long-term care.”
Theriault’s organization receives 95 per cent of its funding from the province, but it is being cut by 20 per cent. He said the board is looking for ways to reduce the losses.
Henk van Leeuwen, chair of Nova Scotia’s Direction Council, said the cuts are “illogical” and contrary to the work of human rights measuresWhose objective is to improve the lives of disabled people.
About $180 million is directly tied to the measure in the budget, with about $60 million of that for new initiatives.
The Directions Council of Nova Scotia represents approximately 34 organizations that provide inclusion and support to people with disabilities in their communities across the province.
“This vital work is just beginning to take shape and these cuts will have a negative impact on the organizations that perform it and the people they serve,” Van Leeuwen said in a news release.
“This budget is disappointing,” he said.
Adams said he is committed to meeting the obligations under the measure. She said she was relying on community organizations to help and that her department would work with those affected by the cuts to “maximize efficiency, minimize redundancies” and continue its work.
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