January 7, 2003

Home Ownership & Long Term Welfare

Murry Coell, Minister of Human Resources, mused in the media that homeowners on welfare for more than six months may have to make repayments. How many of the 123,844 open welfare cases in November were on for over six months while owning a home - one, one hundred, or more?

Is Coell talking about yuppies in their thirties living in Yaletown condos, or is he targeting 55 year old mill workers in resource dependent communities who have been abandoned by the government only to find the safety net jerked out from under them? Thanks to the wonders of computer science and data collection by the Ministry, Coell knows the answer to that question, or at least his staff can produce answers with a few simple clicks of a mouse. That is why the following request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act was faxed to his Ministry.

The public deserves to know how many people are on income assistance for over six months while owning at least some equity in a home, and where they live. If Coell is talking about just a handful of older former workers in small communities, then his mean musings need to be exposed for how little, and how mean they are. If he is talking about widespread abuse of taxpayers, then the public also deserves to know. Coell really doesn't need to wait the usual six months or more as we go through various stalls before the following questions are answered.

January 2, 2002

Manager of Information and Privacy
Ministry of Human Resources
PO Box 9972 Stn Prov Govt                                      by fax only to (250) 387-3311
Victoria, British Columbia V8W 9R5

Dear Sir/Madam:

I make this request pursuant to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

News reports have quoted Minister Coell as saying that "if homeowners collect benefits for six months or more, any additional payments could be considered a loan - a loan that would have to be repaid when the property is sold." Apparently this policy change is being considered for implementation in the fall of 2003. I doubt that the Minster would make such a change without understanding the full implications of its impacts. Therefore, knowing that the ministry collects detailed statistical data on its clients, I make the following requests:

1) As of January 1, 2003, how many clients have been in receipt of assistance for a continuous period of six months or more?

2) Please provide the regional breakdown on the number of clients reported in answer to question 1 above using the 9 ministry regions used in the data at http://www.mhr.gov.bc.ca/research/keyfacts.htm#regional

3) Please provide a further breakdown of the data provided in answer to question 2 above showing the number of clients by region who have been in receipt of assistance for a continuous period of six months or more by age, for example under 50, 50 to 65, and over 65 or whatever other age intervals are used by the ministry to accumulate statistical information.

4) Please provide the data requested in questions 1-3 above for those clients who own their own home, or who own equity in a home. For example, with respect to question 1, how many clients have been in receipt of assistance for a continuous period of six months or more and own at least some equity in a home? Breaking down questions 2 and 3 by home ownership will assist in understanding how the statements made in today's news by Minister Coell will impact people in different regions and in different circumstances.

Sincerely,

David D. Schreck