North Island Advocacy was founded in 1995 after the legal advocacy program at the CR Women's Centre was closed and there was a recognized need in Campbell River for community based advocacy for our low income citizens and those in crisis. The organization has continued to provide legal information, support, referral and representation to low income and disadvantaged people who have administrative law problems (tenancy, welfare, pensions, debtor's assistance, housing, human rights abuses, employment issues, and appeals) as well as legal education initiatives. This has been invaluable to our clients, but it is not enough.
Poverty and hardship are growing in our community. Some families suffer because of medical problems or financial problems caused by low incomes, fixed incomes, or a crisis, such as a sudden loss of income, an injury, catastrophe, disability, or a marriage break down. There is no safe affordable housing to meet the demands of low income people. Not everyone qualifies for government assistance. Homelessness and food bank use is at an all time high. Some children in our community are hungry, depressed, embarrassed, sad, neglected, and without hope.
The general assumption is that the working poor can get welfare for crisis situations and that welfare is a guaranteed last resort, to those in need. This is not true. As a result, local children and adults are suffering and unable to get what they need or to move beyond their situation to maintain their dignity and health, or have any hope for the future. We want to be able to reach out, through community based philanthropy, to improve the quality of life for our community members who are underprivileged, ill, in crisis, or physically and mentally challenged. Access to poverty law services has been erased through the closure of legal aid in 2002. The laws have changed to reduce or eliminate access to benefits that once existed. Disabled people don't always qualify for disability benefits. The amount of a crisis grant for those on welfare, about twenty dollars, limits the extent of the crisis you can expect to be addressed. Health needs and nutritional supplements are not always easy to obtain, and not always granted for the people who need them. Rents are too high for the income assistance rates to pay, and for minimum wage workers to handle if they also expect to have utilities, nutritional food, and childcare.
We need to do more, by providing alternative solutions for those who have a legitimate need but who do not qualify for the traditional government assistance.
Where did we come up with our name? In the Book of Rites, one of the five Confucian Classics, ancient Chinese sages highly praised jade by comparing its noble character with the four virtues of which a man of honour should be equipped: goodness, righteousness, wisdom and courage. Jade is said to embody charity and justice. Island JADE Society represents justice, advocacy, dignity and empowerment for our community citizens, but we need your help.
Island JADE Society continues to be a registered charity and non profit society. We continue to provide legal advocacy services as we always have. We are currently seeking board members to help us develop and implement projects to address the immediate needs of children, parents, families and individuals in our community. As well, we are calling on members of the public, local business owners and our corporate community to provide the financial support, big or small, for our initiatives, which will promote justice, advocacy, dignity, and empowerment for our citizens.
