Jennifer Myra and her four young children will likely spend Christmas Day in the bachelor apartment they rent in a Gorge Road motel, with holiday cheer provided by donors to the sa国际传媒 Christmas Fund.
"It makes the difference between us having a Christmas and not having a Christmas," the 31-year-old said of the gift certificates she receives for gifts for the children and the makings of a special dinner. "If this help wasn't there, we wouldn't have Christmas. The math just doesn't add up."
Myra has received help from the fund, which solicits donations from readers, for the past few Christmases. While appreciative of the gift that allows her children -- Alyssa, 7, Samantha, 6, Chrissy, 3, and Alex, 13 months -- to celebrate with a gift and turkey dinner, Myra looks forward to the day she doesn't need it.
But like many people working to get off social assistance and into the workforce, Myra is caught in an ironic Catch-22. When she depended entirely on social assistance, Myra and her children qualified for subsidized housing. She paid $460 a month for a four-bedroom townhouse.
But after she started working on-call as a resident care attendant -- she finished the course in October -- she no longer qualified for the subsidized rate and instead had to pay market value, $1,850 per month.
She couldn't afford that, so she and her children had to find a new home. Easier said than done in a market where it's hard to find a place that will allow four children, let alone one within the $750 a month social assistance will provide for a family of Myra's size.
So the family is staying at the Traveller's Inn on the Gorge, paying almost $900 a month for a room with a kitchenette.
"I'd love to have a new place by Christmas but unless I get really lucky, that won't happen," she said.
As well, the provincial government requires that any income made must be deducted from the social assistance given. It's put Myra in a position where she often ends up working seemingly for free. On top of that are the costs of working -- child care, clothing, transportation -- all the small things that are significant when on a tight budget.
"Sometimes, it feels like you're being penalized for working because you really don't end up further ahead," Myra said. "Things like this can make people less inclined to make things better for themselves. It's not that they don't want to, it's that they can't afford to."
She tries to ignore that, knowing that as she gets more work in her field, she will be able to leave the social assistance network.
"I don't like being on assistance and I hate being dependent on the whim of other people. I want more control of my life and a better life for my children. Having a good-paying full-time job will do that. It will work out in the long run. I keep saying that to myself."
Myra works hard at juggling her money so her children won't have to do without on the important things, even if it means she herself goes without gifts and often eats rice for a couple of weeks so her children have more nutritional food.
"I try to make sure the important things are covered, like a gift on their birthday."
The sa国际传媒 Christmas Fund is a member of the Greater Victoria Christmas Bureau, which co-ordinates requests for help with a variety of agencies.
Last year, donors to the sa国际传媒 Christmas Fund gave more than $250,000, which helped 2,300 households with Christmas dinner and gifts for the children.
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HOW TO DONATE
Please donate to the sa国际传媒 Christmas Fund. Your contributions are used to buy groceries and children's toys for people in need.
- Mail a cheque to the sa国际传媒 Christmas Fund, 2621 Douglas St., Victoria, sa国际传媒 V8T 4M2.
- Use your credit card by phoning 250-995-4438.
- Donate online through our partnership with the Queen Alexandra Foundation at www.queenalexandra.org
- Information and stories at timescolonist.com/christmasfund
