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Tf- rnaadian flhnumnaa Tu.adav. JneU 8. 199--3 Study tînds helping the poor doesn't cost more By IRENE GENTLE The Champion Offering additional iselp to those on social assistance wouldn't cost taxpayers an extra dime, Haiton Region's health and social services committee has iseard. And it could belp people get off assistance faster. Tbat's tise essence of When The Bough Breaks, a report presented by Dr. Gina Browne of the McMaster University researchs unit on healtis and social service use. Its finding was tisat providing low-income and sin- gle parents witis a wealtis of assistance - such as suis- sidized visita by public bealtis nurses, work retramning and recreational and chid care services - was no niore expensive than expecting tbemn to go it alone. l'ie study also found tisat offermng tise juiced-up ser- vices would allow about 10 per cent of faniilies, to get off assistance and back on tiseir feet faster. Dr. Browne appeared before committee to give a two-year update on tise study, wisich is funded by tise Ministiy of Health and is linked with 16 community beaitis and social services agencies. Tise report was before comm-ittee for information only. I ail, a randomn sampling of 700 social assistance recipients from Halton and Hamiiton-Wentworth was undertaken. It was found tisat 50 per cent were single parents, almçsst bal of whom suffered frmm a depressive disor- der. On top of that, about one tisird of thse ciidren of tse parents had beisavioural disorders. lise study group was tisen randomly directed into five sras One group received social assistance only. lie otiser groupa received cither public lhealtis nursmng services, work retraining, or cisild case, and recreational ser- vices on top of tiseir social assistance. A final group received ail tisese services as weli as social assistance. ,liss is tise first study in tise worid tisat compared ail treatments alone and togetiser versus allowing tise peo- ple to fend for tisemselves," said Dr. Browne. Providing tise families witis multi-faceted support not oniy iselped tisem feel better, but il didn't realiY cost taxpayers a cent she said. Tise reason is tisat tise money tbat la put into tise enbanced services wouid normally be spent eisewiseoe by families struggling to make it on tiseir own, said Dr. Browne. For example, tise parents who received subsidized recreation found tisemselves having more money to pay for bis and otr expenses. By subsidizing visita from public iseaitis nurses, tax- payer. money was saved tisrougis a decrease in more costly emergency room and practitioner visita. "If you ioad tisis woman up witis public iseaitis nurs- es, ase doesn't bave time to use tise doctor," said Dr. Browne. "If ase doesn't bave to use ber income main- tenance for basketbali sisoes for Jobnny, ase won't bave to go to tise food batik." Convincing ail govemment leveis tisat cisanneling more money into social assistance wiii save in otiser amas may be isard, said Oakville Mayor Anti Mulvale. "It does seemn an obviaus but it's very difficult to seli," ase said. 'Tise difficuity la trying to convince tisree leveis of govemment." Convincing taxpayers to fund sports activities for kids on social assistance wlsile user fées go up for tiseir own kids couid be just as cisullenging a row to isce, said Milton CounciliR Rick Malboeuf. "Kids who are invoived in recreational activities have leas troubles later," said Mr. Maiboeuf. "Stili, r'd bave trouble seiling tisis to taxpayers wiso are not on social assistance." Burlingbon Councillor Jack Dennison said tdma as a businessman, lie was having trouble buying tise idea isimseif. s» DEPRESSED on page 12 ANNUAL MEET1NG.ý