Moving beyond Poverty (and the social determinents of health.)
Do we have any control over poverty? This is what Peers at a recent Peer House Toronto Community Forum said:
Using Meal Programs helps, especially in combination with learning about nutrician and taking care of personal health. Prioritizing taking care of themselves by being aware of how their body feels with healthy food available (such as at certain food banks and church meal programs in Toronto for example - St. Lawrence Market Saturdays at 5:00 p.m., Holy Trinity Community Meals on St. Clair Avenue West) had positive effect on feeling less unwellness, as did learning about heart health, arthritis care and foot care.
Peer budgeters say bargain shopping for their home environment also improved their sense of pride in their surroundings, as did wearing fresh clothing items, and showering daily, adding to their grooming care. Caring more about what Peers can control helps and combats poorer habits of self-care.
Continual working on recovery, Peers said, provides an added layer of pride in moving forward. Involvement in programs such as Peer Support groups for social connection and learning new skills or self-help has a positive impact of sense of motivation, empowerment and determination.
Peer Budgeters staying housed, fed, and working on recovery…
Financial Desperation. The health impact. The housing choice impact. The potential of freedom loss impact.
What about the fear of gaining (and keeping) our benefits - and the fear/risk of losing them?
Peers say concern about being cut-off government benefits, benfit interuption, working with the system to get in our statements to workers, moving beyond the fear of capping allowable income per year to keep benefits are all factors in ‘moving beyond poverty’.
Organizations supporting Lived Experience through providing Honorariums or Stipends have been helpful, but particularly helpful, Peers say, has been Peer Researcher positions offered at good pay with ‘emotionally intelligent’ healthcare leadership invested in community research during Covid-19 and beyond.
Learning about and adding to Peer Research positions have been effective in overcoming the sense of hopelessness and helplessness Peers experience against the social determinents of health. Adding to current Research positions is wanted by Peers to keep moving forward.
Being involved in organization improvements and in system change has felt hopeful, encouraging and motivating. Training and being involved in Research, Peers say, improves how they feel, how they communicate - personally and professionally.
For Youth, the challenge of housing and education impacts poverty - as does coming from an unstructured home life that impacts the ability to stay in education, or sustain work. Moving ahead from poverty through career choice means eduction is income leverage, and Youth Peers who invest in education say it is the way to move beyond poverty. Older Peers agree that knowledge is power, and that the more we practice skills - or the more we do - the better we do it as an alternative to formal education.
Learning at any age helps to move forward from poverty and ability to work, say Peers at the June, 2022 Community Forum on Moving beyond Poverty.
Social Service organizations that involve Lived Experience People in training and employment are impacting the social challenges of health. Getting involved with developmental organizations, such as those at Peer House Toronto under Training and Employment are helping us, and giving us motivation and empowerment to move forward.