Community Legal Assistance Society’s Post

Did you know disabled workers can only earn $16,200 a year before they lose access to their disability benefits? And when they lose access to their disability benefits it sometimes can mean they lose access to other entitlements such as housing. Living Wage Employers who want to do the right thing face a difficult dilemma - do they pay their disabled staff less by offering them fewer hours than their non-disabled peers or do they let their staff lose access to the support they’re entitled to? We’ve partnered with Living Wage for Families BC, BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, and Disability Alliance BC to sign this open letter asking to use the upcoming review of the Poverty Reduction Strategy to remove these restrictions and allow disabled workers to earn a Living Wage. Read the letter and share: https://lnkd.in/gWQ-Fxzf

Did you know disabled workers can only earn $16,200 a year before they lose access to their disability benefits? And when they lose access to their disability benefits it sometimes can mean they lose access to other entitlements such as housing. Living Wage Employers who want to do the right thing face a difficult dilemma - do they pay their disabled staff less by offering them fewer hours than their non-disabled peers or do they let their staff lose access to the support they’re entitled to? We’ve partnered with @lwforfamilies, @povreductionbc and @disabilityalliancebc to sign this open letter to @sheilamalcolmsonbc to ask her to use the upcoming review of the Poverty Reduction Strategy to remove these restrictions and allow disabled workers to earn a Living Wage. Read the letter and share: https://lnkd.in/gXTkEvBv

Did you know disabled workers can only earn $16,200 a year before they lose access to their disability benefits? And when they lose access to their disability benefits it sometimes can mean they lose access to other entitlements such as housing. ⚠ This means that a student receiving disability benefits might be penalized if they work 18 or more hours per week at minimum wage or 12 or more hours for a living wage certified employer.   Living Wage Employers who want to do the right thing face a difficult dilemma—do they pay their disabled staff less by offering them fewer hours than their non-disabled peers, or do they let their staff lose access to the support they’re entitled to? We’ve partnered with Living Wage for Families BC, the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, and Disability Alliance BC to sign this open letter to Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, to ask her to use the upcoming review of the Poverty Reduction Strategy to remove these restrictions and allow disabled workers to earn a Living Wage. ➡ Read the letter and share: https://lnkd.in/gNqwqmGn

There are 8.7 million Disabled women in the UK. Disabled people are more likely to be underemployed and in low paid jobs. Overall, people with a disability earn 19.6% less than non-Disabled people, and the risk of in-work poverty is higher than for those without one. Therefore, it’s vitally important that Disabled people get the benefits they need, and that’s why we have responded to the government’s consultation on disability benefits reform. Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/gYs7mV9D #DisabledWomenUK #DisabilityBenefits #GovernmentConsultation

Today’s #CPW24 focus is on adequate incomes. The 2024 #GDASurvey found a key concern of 93% of disabled respondents was money and 71% did not have an adequate income through either benefits or work. Research by Scope reveals a ‘disability price tag’: disabled households need £975 more a month to have the same standard of living as a non-disabled household. Disability benefits are meant to cover the additional costs of being disabled, e.g. higher energy and transport costs and social care charges, but GDA members tell us due to the #CostOfLIvingCrisis, they have to use this money for everyday essentials, not additional costs. To tackle disabled people’s #Poverty, we must: 1. Increase non-means tested disability benefits, e.g. PIP, to meet the true extra costs of disability. 2. Invest in, develop and sustain accessible welfare rights advice, information and representation, such as #GDA’s ‘Rights Now’ & 'Advice in Accessible Settings' projects. 3. Co-design a Disabled People’s Poverty Action Plan with #DPOs, including meaningful actions which change lives. Join us this Friday as we challenge disabled people's poverty. For more info: https://lnkd.in/eVXwQ_4v

Nearly half of all people who were disabled and living in poverty have a long-term, limiting mental health need – this is around 2.3 million people. Employment rates are markedly lower for disabled people compared with non-disabled people. And the pay gap between disabled and non-disabled employees is around 13% with disabled people earning about £2 less per hour than non-disabled people. VODG (Voluntary Organisations Disability Group) has mobilised parliamentarians calling for disabled people to be at the heart of policy making 👉 https://lnkd.in/ehvkNw49 The Department of Health and Social Care Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock has been appointed as the Lead Minister for Disability at DHSC. We very much welcomes this. Working across government with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability Stephen Timms offers us an immediate opportunity to address some of the long-standing challenges facing disabled people and their support services. We all need to be on the right side of history in seeking progressive policy solutions to the challenges we face.

One of the many challenges also facing persons living with disabilities is that if you do not meet a certain income threshold you are not eligible to claim medical expenses such as therapists and medication costs as the benefits are a tax credit, meaning reducing the amount of tax you would owe. This is of zero help and makes no sense to persons living with disabilities, when their income is already below the poverty line, many do not qualify for government assistance or programs, are not eligible for the DTC, and due to their disabilities, incur thousands of dollars in medication costs and therapy costs each year. Add in those whom are with a private insurer or mandated to enroll in a group disability plan, and then you are faced with no cost of living increases, having every dime clawed back, and zero ability to earn even a few dollars at a capped amount which is allowable on cpp disability. Zero additional financial assistance for single caregivers of minor children, or disabled persons with of any family status with minor children period. Being forced to continually “prove” your disability, while also being forced to use the already stretched paper thin “benefit”, to fund any and all therapies and “hoops” you are asked to jump through, for the chance to put another on the table tonight, then repeat …. We have voices… It’s just hard to hear us when we are drowning…. DO BETTER

Tomorrow is budget day. DFI’s pre-budget submission 2025 sets out a series of recommendations to address the poverty and exclusion experienced by people with disabilities. It calls for action in the following key areas: ♿Sustainable health and social care services with funding to deliver the Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026. 💸Tackling poverty experienced by disabled people, the extra Cost of Disability and employment by introducing a recurring Cost of Disability payment of €2,600 a year, or €50 a week. 🦼Ensuring community inclusion and participation through the development of a new programme to create disability inclusive communities. 🏠Realising housing for all by provide funding to implement the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027. Find out more in our pre-budget submission: https://lnkd.in/eYRw9dNf #budget25

People with disabilities in Australia also live in poverty with the lowest standard of living and the highest rates of inequality in the OECD according to the United Nations #CRPD Except we are marginalised as a burden by politicians and exploited mostly for the profit of commercial industry and to filter government backed money into superannuation funds. So since the initiative based on supporting people came in, we have no choice, are required to provide free labour, cant speak for our selves or own representation. Oh, and we have bounties on our heads so I think numbers are i. the thousands by now of people who go missing or are dead because of the #NDIS #AustraliaVotes2025 #AustralianHumanRightsViolation #AustraliaHasNoHumanRightsLegislation.

Canadians have been surveyed as to their thoughts on the funding of the new Canada Disability Benefit. Facts: 9/10 Canadians support the funding of this nw benefit. In Ontario, if you're currently on disability benefits, you get $1,300/mth (poverty line is $2,300) -- effectively, legislated into deep poverty without funding this new benefit! If you're living rough, this amount is only $700 because you don't pay rent. :-(