I got majorly ill and had to quit my job last fall. Employment Insurance took eight months in total to decide I didn't qualify for regular EI. I filed a three month medical EI claim because I had to (benefits are 55% of former wages), and applied to convert it to a regular EI claim the last week. EI spent five more months after that making a decision and I couldn't apply for any other kind of assistance.
You're supposed to be able to apply for $760/month hardship assistance while waiting for an EI decision if you have nothing left, but any kind of income is deducted from that. I quit my job in late October, applied to convert my claim in January, in early March I had a $1,300 tax return and couldn't apply for any kind of Ministry assistance for four months after that. I paid my own living expenses.
Five months later, EI decided I qualified for partial benefits, sent 15 weeks back pay but not the rest of the 48 weeks remaining, and closed my file. I had $4,800 in the bank now, but I also had a car loan I couldn't afford any more and $4,000 in bills and portions of my rent I'd put on credit so I could continue to live somewhere while I was too sick to do anything.
I paid off my car loan so I could keep the car and spend money on rent. I can't walk or take the bus to medical appointments or government offices. I shouldn't be sleeping in my car and can't always drive, but I can find somewhere else to live when I can pay rent again. I gave 30 days notice to vacate July 31.
I thought I'd get a $760 social assistance cheque some months (4?) after EI made a decision (the rent on my fairly nice one bedroom apartment was $795/month), and host some Airbnb guests while I applied for disability to help pay the rent (it would be deducted, but I might make the rent).
Except the inflammation attacking my spine got bad enough with new symptoms that I had to go to Emergency and pay for medications and medical supplies, my car had two minor issues (it broke down in a traffic circle and I had to have two sensors and a leaking fuel hose replaced: $750), somebody "found" my secondhand iphone and isn't giving it back, the $50 phone I replaced it with doesn't hold a charge... I spent all my rent money unexpectedly and I have too much debt already to put my rent on credit again.
The Ministry of Social Development (the welfare ministry) deducted my partial EI back pay (which wasn't enough even for that period) from the amount of social assistance I would have received going forward at $760/month. So I can't receive social assistance for six months while I apply for disability (I don't have a date when I can receive assistance again yet, but I talked to a worker and did the math myself). I figured they were going to do that, but I couldn't guess for how long.
The body ironically titled the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction decided I have to live on $4,800 for nearly a year, in effect. I understand why the rules exist and I don't disagree on principle, but it ends up being really dumb.
I have negative $211.20 in the bank because my bill payments came out of my overdraft, zero income, $4,000 in credit card bills I have to make payments on, and I don't have a working phone. I haven't been able to buy toiletries or food in months, I've had one food bank hamper and then a bag of rice and a back of flour to stretch it out. Before that I was just living on rice and instant coffee because I didn't want to go to the food bank.
I'm too ill to go to a job. It definitely occurred to me to just solve this by getting another job. Being able to get a job would make life 200% easier! I'm out of bed half the time now, but I'm not going to get better after 15-20 years, I'm going to get worse. I'm applying for disability to pay the rent first so I can do as much as possible for me. Not mentioning how ill I am doesn't mean it's not real.
I do still have the car. I still maintain that my financial decisions were better than the Ministry of Social Development's rules about how I should spend money.
At 24 I was certain I was right. At 34 I doubt all of my decisions. I put all of the money I had into a car that broke down the month after I paid it off (minorly, but it's 15 years old), and now I'm going to get evicted because I don't have anything left. But it's already done.
It's the 23rd of June and it looks like I'll have till the 15th of July (or 10th?) to vacate. I have to get rid of all of my furniture and stuff very quickly. I managed to pay my rent for most of a year while I was very sick until I was able to leave, with nothing and a lot of debt, but maybe that's as good as it gets.
You're supposed to be able to apply for $760/month hardship assistance while waiting for an EI decision if you have nothing left, but any kind of income is deducted from that. I quit my job in late October, applied to convert my claim in January, in early March I had a $1,300 tax return and couldn't apply for any kind of Ministry assistance for four months after that. I paid my own living expenses.
Five months later, EI decided I qualified for partial benefits, sent 15 weeks back pay but not the rest of the 48 weeks remaining, and closed my file. I had $4,800 in the bank now, but I also had a car loan I couldn't afford any more and $4,000 in bills and portions of my rent I'd put on credit so I could continue to live somewhere while I was too sick to do anything.
I paid off my car loan so I could keep the car and spend money on rent. I can't walk or take the bus to medical appointments or government offices. I shouldn't be sleeping in my car and can't always drive, but I can find somewhere else to live when I can pay rent again. I gave 30 days notice to vacate July 31.
I thought I'd get a $760 social assistance cheque some months (4?) after EI made a decision (the rent on my fairly nice one bedroom apartment was $795/month), and host some Airbnb guests while I applied for disability to help pay the rent (it would be deducted, but I might make the rent).
Except the inflammation attacking my spine got bad enough with new symptoms that I had to go to Emergency and pay for medications and medical supplies, my car had two minor issues (it broke down in a traffic circle and I had to have two sensors and a leaking fuel hose replaced: $750), somebody "found" my secondhand iphone and isn't giving it back, the $50 phone I replaced it with doesn't hold a charge... I spent all my rent money unexpectedly and I have too much debt already to put my rent on credit again.
The Ministry of Social Development (the welfare ministry) deducted my partial EI back pay (which wasn't enough even for that period) from the amount of social assistance I would have received going forward at $760/month. So I can't receive social assistance for six months while I apply for disability (I don't have a date when I can receive assistance again yet, but I talked to a worker and did the math myself). I figured they were going to do that, but I couldn't guess for how long.
The body ironically titled the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction decided I have to live on $4,800 for nearly a year, in effect. I understand why the rules exist and I don't disagree on principle, but it ends up being really dumb.
I have negative $211.20 in the bank because my bill payments came out of my overdraft, zero income, $4,000 in credit card bills I have to make payments on, and I don't have a working phone. I haven't been able to buy toiletries or food in months, I've had one food bank hamper and then a bag of rice and a back of flour to stretch it out. Before that I was just living on rice and instant coffee because I didn't want to go to the food bank.
I'm too ill to go to a job. It definitely occurred to me to just solve this by getting another job. Being able to get a job would make life 200% easier! I'm out of bed half the time now, but I'm not going to get better after 15-20 years, I'm going to get worse. I'm applying for disability to pay the rent first so I can do as much as possible for me. Not mentioning how ill I am doesn't mean it's not real.
I do still have the car. I still maintain that my financial decisions were better than the Ministry of Social Development's rules about how I should spend money.
At 24 I was certain I was right. At 34 I doubt all of my decisions. I put all of the money I had into a car that broke down the month after I paid it off (minorly, but it's 15 years old), and now I'm going to get evicted because I don't have anything left. But it's already done.
It's the 23rd of June and it looks like I'll have till the 15th of July (or 10th?) to vacate. I have to get rid of all of my furniture and stuff very quickly. I managed to pay my rent for most of a year while I was very sick until I was able to leave, with nothing and a lot of debt, but maybe that's as good as it gets.
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