COVID-19: Opportunity for a New “Normal”

BY JODY-LEE FARRAH, MSW, RSW

WHEN ALBERTANS STOPPED what they were doing and stayed home, many social workers, steadfast alongside other essential service workers, continued to respond to the needs of clients and families in their communities. They knew that now, more than ever, health and social support systems would be critical to meet the needs of an increasing number of people plunged into crisis. By design, these systems exist for Albertans to fall back on in our most desperate times. When struck by a global pandemic and spiraling economic crisis, our systems to aid the most vulnerable became crucial to aid everyone. The crisis is serving as a spotlight, exposing the gap-filled systems for what they really are…a threadbare fabric of our society.

Pursuit of Social Justice

Social workers value social justice and uphold the rights of people to have equal access to resources to meet basic human needs. “Social workers believe in the obligation of people, individually and collectively, to provide resources, services and opportunities for the overall benefit of humanity and to afford them protection from harm. Social workers promote social fairness and the equitable distribution of resources, and act to reduce barriers and expand choice for all persons…” (Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) Code of Ethics, 2005, Value 2: Pursuit of Social Justice).

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, basic needs such as food and water, safe shelter, access to health care and income security stood at the forefront of what people needed most, compounded by the mental, psychological, emotional and socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic. While government supports made what was previously impossible possible, it still has been difficult to have enough to meet the needs for all. Furthermore, social workers are helping those throughout the pandemic while managing their own experience. They also turn to the future and advocate for the needed supports for the recovery post-pandemic.

Universal Basic Income Guarantee

Social policy advocates and social workers, including the CASW, have long advocated for basic income reform in Canada through a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (uBIG). To meet the urgent income security needs of Canadians during the pandemic, the federal government took immediate action to implement a Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to support those who experienced loss of employment due to COVID-19. Although there was strong support for this, advocates called upon the government to go further to meet the needs of those who did not meet the program criteria and would fall through the cracks. In a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, the CASW urged the federal government to act, saying, “A crisis is not the time to add administratively onerous programs to an already overburdened Public Service and a population seized by uncertainty and collective anxiety. The fundamentals of a uBIG are already in place in Canada and the evidence of the immediate positive impact of a uBIG is undeniable and overwhelming. It is time to merge the levers of Canada’s social safety net into a uBIG that will have all people in Canada live and die with dignity and respect.” *1

Without this crisis, we may never have seen such support for minimum income support. The Senate of Canada has called upon the Government of Canada to take this positive opportunity to evolve the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit and build upon its development so all Canadians may have access to a guaranteed minimum basic income, preventing people from falling through the cracks, and ensuring greater social and economic equity. *2

Food Security

In the early weeks of the pandemic, there was wide-spread concern about whether there would be enough food supply across Canada. There was a sense of panic as hoarding of essential items such as eggs and flour, dry and canned goods, meat and poultry (and even toilet paper) emptied stores. These actions called into question the resilience of Canada’s food systems. With pre-existing precarious employment and food insecurity, the impact of COVID-19 could be monumental. One in eight Canadians experience food insecurity and with the impacts of COVID-19, this number was expected to increase. *3

According to the recently released PROOF report, “Before COVID-19, more Canadians were experiencing food insecurity than ever before, a number that has risen to 4.4 million people, including 1.2 million children under 18. Food insecurity damages the health and wellbeing of adults and children. People who are food-insecure are much more likely to suffer from chronic physical and mental health conditions and have lower life expectancy.” *4 There are several factors contributing to food insecurity that highlight the depth of the problem, all exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health response: low-income households; renters; lone parents – particularly females; individuals who receive social assistance and households with children younger than 18 years. *5

According to Food Secure Canada, COVID-19 has highlighted the inequities in Canada’s food systems, and the need for change: “…This crisis is an opportunity to strengthen our food system overall, revitalize rural economies, improve the health of Canadians, and build resilience - to climate change and other system shocks - now and into the future.” *6 There is an opportunity to re-think food systems with a focus on local producers to provide for Canadians in a more sustainable, equitable and healthy manner. To thoroughly address food insecurity in Canada, Food Secure Canada is advocating for a universal basic income that will meet the needs of those experiencing food insecurity – citing this “once in a lifetime chance” to make change.

Safe and Affordable Housing

The COVID-19 crisis heightened awareness of those one paycheque away from homelessness and the increasing challenges of those already experiencing homelessness in Alberta. Public health directives around physical distancing and personal hygiene challenged social workers and organizations providing supports to vulnerable populations. Providing a safe place for those facing homelessness would be critical in supporting vulnerable people to have a safe and healthy place to live while taking important steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. While provincial and federal governments developed plans to help shelters respond to COVID-19, they also committed millions to support organizations to address the needs of those requiring emergency shelter.

In Edmonton, an innovative, strengthsbased solution was created to address housing needs during the crisis. Homeward Trust Edmonton and Boyle Street Community Services came together to provide a temporary housing solution at the Coliseum Inn for people experiencing homelessness. This was implemented alongside day services at the EXPO Centre for those requiring isolation and other supports. Homeward Trust stated, “This creates more capacity for us to provide everyone with something most of us have been able to rely on in this crisis – a stable home where we can be healthy and protected.” *7 The role of a Universal Basic Income Guarantee is substantial in preventing homelessness and ensuring people can reach health and social supports.

Opportunity for New “Normal”

From crisis also comes opportunity to assess and critically reflect on our individual professional identities as social workers and our collective role as a profession to create and shape a new normal — a normal that will develop a positive way forward to implement radical system change to address poverty, food insecurity, income security and homelessness. Humanitarian and social justice advocate Sonya Renee Taylor reflects, “We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.”

*1 https://www.casw-acts.ca/sites/default/files/ documents/uBIG_during_COVID_-19.pdf

*2 https://99ef1c2f-cf4f-4886-a2a6- e608d33a7c01.filesusr.com/ugd/138236_ ba7a4dd75e85420994980904ba220a12.pdf

*3 https://foodsecurecanada.org/resources-news/newsmedia/COVID-food-secure-canada-response

*4 https://proof.utoronto.ca/more-canadians-are-foodinsecure-than-ever-before-and-the-problem-is-onlygetting-worse/

*5 https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/ nutrition/if-nfs-household-food-insecurity-in-alberta.pdf

*6 https://foodsecurecanada.org/resources-news/newsmedia/covid-19-highlights-food-system-inequitiestime-systemic-change

*7 http://homewardtrust.ca/covid-19/

JODY-LEE FARRAH is the Associate Director, Professional Practice & Advocacy, at the Alberta College of Social Workers.