Younger families hard hit

The majority of welfare recipients in the Greater Vancouver area are still living well below the poverty line — compelled to cut back on food or seek cheaper, inferior accommodation.

- That’s the gist of a new report released last week by the United Way Social Planning and _ Research Committee.

In spite of changes last April in the policy of the Guaranteed Available In- come for Need (GAIN) program and increases in rates, the report indicates that allowances need to be increased by at least $130 a month for most single recipients, and up to $230 a month for some _ families during the first four months On assistance.

The 22-page document “Measuring the Gap” is a sequel to “The Adequacy of Basic Assistance Benefits in Greater Vancouver” issued by the committee’ in November 1978.

Following the = an- nouncement of changes in GAIN benefits last April, United Way began analysing the effects on actual payments. This is im ac- cordance with United Way's traditional policy of reviewing the adequacy of

welfare benefits on a regular basis.

SHORTFALL

UP TO 75%

The study finds that in- creases in the GAIN rates made by the minister last year did not improve the Situation to the extent ex- pected when they were first announced. Many discretionary supplementary payments called overages were abolished at that time, and became in effect in- cluded in the new rates for all. As a result, the net impact of the increases to families who have received overages was less than

‘appeared.

Pricing a basketful of low cost nutritious food, allowing for clothes, per- sonal care and bus travel, the report points to a shortfall of from 12 to 75 per cent for longer term recipients. In fact, the cost of basic goods and services exceeds the amount available under the GAIN support allowance for all the groups examined.

CONTINUED ON PAGE C4

CORAL POLGE'S PROFESSION

CORAL POLGE ... “when you got toa spirit, all you

do ts leave olf the coat.”

sunday

news

Tel. 980-0511

P.S. YOUR CAT IS DEAD —(itor)Mary Anne D. MacNeill (Kate) threatens Tim Dandon (Jimmy) while Roger Allen (Vito) looks on in a scene from the comedy now running at the Studio Theatre in North

Vancouver.

‘

By OLGA RUSKIN

“T feel the person 1 draw. I don't see them. I sense them. I feel as if I am _ that person, explains world-famous _ British psychic artist Coral Polge in the’ North Vancouver home of medium David Young who 1s— akso_ inter- nationally known. What is unusual is that the person she draws has “passed the spirit”

Drawing portraits of spirits

to another world. But they become real to Coral and so she draws them on paper with a pencil or crayon.

Itas fascinating to hsten

“When you go to the spirit all you do 1s leave off a coat. You don't suddenly change when you leave off the coat. The body as only a tem- porary sheller What gets to spirit as exactly the same person that leaves here If youre a giggler when you leave here you're going to be a giggler over there ”

CONTINUED ON PAGE C2

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