FORT MCMURRAY FIRE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FINANCIAL DISCRIMINATION FOR SINGLES AND SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES
These thoughts are purely the blunt, no nonsense personal opinions of the author and are not intended to provide personal or financial advice.
Announcements from the province for Fort McMurray Fire Emergency Assistance state each adult will receive $1250 and each child $500.
Singles and once again have been financially short changed. Common sense, lowest common denominator critical thinking shows $1250 is not enough. Amount for divorced or separated parent with children is also in question.
Amount for singles on month of expenses means they would get temporary assistance for $1300 one bedroom apartment rent, but have no money left for $250 food, gas or other necessities.. A divorced or separated parent with two children would get $2250. Parent could rent two bedroom apartment, have money for food, but nothing left for gas and other necessities. A married couple who at present time have no children would get $2500. They would possibly get temporary assistance for $1300 one bedroom apartment rent, $500 for food with some money left for gas and other necessities. A family with two children would receive $3500. They could rent a two bedroom apartment, have $1000 for food and also have money left for gas and other necessities.
If singles follow married persons mantra that they can always go live with someone, two bedroom apartment rent would put them on same financial level as married couple without children, but they would also face the additional psychological stress of not only the consequences of the fire, but also all the adjustments it takes to live with a new person in new surroundings, etc.
Single parent with two children gets less financial assistance than married and coupled family unit without children.
This disaster will put additional stress on what is already an unaffordable housing market. Singles will face greater negative consequences of this disaster in housing than families since landlords tend to rent to families before they rent to singles.
How many times can it be said that it costs more for singles to live than families? Year after year, singles of all ages provide untold financial benefits to their country and families through taxes, volunteer efforts, etc., but never financially get back what they put into financial coffers. Financial intelligence and fair financial formulation requires analysis to be based on not just a person to person basis, but also what it costs each individual family unit to live (single, single parent and two parent family units). One family unit does not deserve more financial benefits than another in a disaster. In a just, humane society singles and single parent families deserve same financial, psychological and social dignity and respect in emergency situations as married and coupled persons and families.
This blog is of a general nature about financial discrimination of individuals/singles. It is not intended to provide personal or financial advice.
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