Boosting income assistance for disabled in Sask. should be election campaign issue, advocates say

Disabled people receiving income assistance say their benefits should be increased after Saskatchewan's upcoming election, but advocates worry it has not become an issue.

As of August, there were 18,128 households in the province receiving Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) benefits, according to the latest figures the Ministry of Social Services.

David Swan, 38, who lives with Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl Syndrome, a disease so rare it occurs in "one in 25 million people," has been on SAID since 2009.

"I've gone through both deafness and blindness. I had extra toes and fingers when I was born. I was a conjoined twin. I've surpassed my [predicted] lifespan by 21 years," Swan said.

Swan has been living in Allan, a community 66 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon, for the past six years because he couldn't find an affordable place in Saskatoon. His weight (600 pounds) restricts his mobility and often confines him to his small, one-bedroom apartment.

His mother, Karen Swan, 62, is also on SAID due to a brain tumour that still "doesn't go away" after three surgeries. She's also has only a single kidney and suffers complex post-traumatic stress and anxiety.

Both get roughly $1,500 a month under SAID, including a $459 rental housing supplement, but they say it barely covers their expenses. They say SAID recipients get $18,000 a year, "half of the poverty level," pushing many into debt.

"It's a juggling act. It's either paying for food or clothing or paying for the internet and phone," David Swan said. "I'm constantly behind bills."

He has to pay delivery fees for groceries and medications. He said there's at least one week per month where he "doesn't have enough money for food."

Karen Swan said she is also "constantly in debt."

"My credit debt is at its limit, but that's how I survive," she said. "Do you know how expensive it is to be poor?"

Karen Swan says she is afraid she will lose her son or he will be all alone after her death and wants disability to be an election issue.

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe said Thursday that his party is committed to making Saskatchewan "the very best place to live for those that are living with disabilities."

"I think there is a real opportunity for additional discussions in that space and providing those supports, and the goal is for everyone in Saskatchewan to be included," Moe said.