Victoria Holiday Ask 2024
This holiday season, we are reflecting both on the gratitude we hold for our donors, as well as the seriousness and urgency with which we seek funds to continue our vital work. Your support has been instrumental in our efforts towards economic and social justice.
The demand for help from our Income Assistance Project has been steadily growing in the last couple of years due to the rising cost of living and yearly increases to rent. Just last week a report found that the living wage in Victoria has risen to the point where it is now three times what a single person on disability receives.
Substantial systemic change is required to overhaul the affordabilityand housing crises plaguing BC. TAPS has continued to sound the alarm on the need for higher assistance rates and improved access to benefits, and our call is ringing out in the community. However, the core funding for our Income Assistance Project only covers our individual client work, and does not give us the resources we need to focus on lobbying decision makers for systemic change.
We are fighting hard to ensure the BC social assistance system is fair, and true to the economic pressures of 2024. In March, The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction introduced changes to make the IA and PWD systems less punitive, and more accessible. We continue to monitor these updates, and provide feedback to the Ministry on how additional opportunities for reform remain.
Jenny’s story
One person familiar with the peaks and valleys of the BC welfare system is our client, Jenny, who struggled to find a physician to complete her PWD application with no family doctor. Jenny was fortunate to find a specialist willing to complete it, but they required significant coaching through the process because they lacked the PWD experience that general physicians typically have. When people in the community have no access to primary care practitioners, they must rely on more specialized and hard-to-access health providers who often are not familiar with the forms. TAPS was able to support the specialist to complete the application, and Jenny was accepted for disability assistance.
“If I did not have TAPS helping me in the last couple years I would be in a much darker place. I feel truly grateful and blessed to have TAPS.”
— Jenny
On March 5, 2024, TAPS proudly attended the BC Legislature to witness Minister Sheila Malcomson announce important changes to the legislation that governs provincial benefits. Thanks to the lobbying efforts of TAPS and other agencies across British Columbia, recipients of social assistance no longer face financial penalties for administrative errors. Time limits to file critical appeals have been increased, and the laws around reporting requirements were loosened.
While 2024 has been marked by significant progress, we are a long ways away from long-term income and housing security in BC. We need your help to further this work as the demand for free legal advocacy services continues to grow…
Fortunately, for the fifth year in a row your donations will have an even greater impact this year as philanthropist Andrew Beckerman has agreed to run a donation match. Andew is committed to supporting our work, and has even increased the level of his contribution, meaning that all donations we receive up to a total of $7,500 will be matched. Thanks to Andrew Beckerman's contribution, your support will once again be doubled.
We understand that you receive numerous requests for your time and resources, but TAPS stands uniquely committed to client representation and the pursuit of systemic change. With your ongoing support, we can continue to advocate for the rights of Victoria's low-income community, ensuring that they are not left behind during these uncertain times. To make a donation, click here. If you prefer to donate by cheque or cash, you are always welcome to visit and tour our office at 828 View Street.
With heartfelt appreciation,
Douglas King
Executive Director
Antonia Mah
Interim Director of Operations