Thursday, December 17, 2020

Why charities cannot replace SSI (from my experience)

Why is SSI necessary? Why don't we rely on charities to support low-income disabled people?


I was reading about different political ideologies, and came across Libertarianism which largely doesn't believe in government safety nets like SSI.

I read different opinions from different libertarians (cuz like, everyone differs), and got a variety of responses to the hypothetical question:

"How would disabled people get support in a libertarian society?"

Libertarian 1: "The free market means they'll have easier access to work."
(Me: Fair, but what about the permanently and severely disabled who can't work at all?)

Libertarian 2: "They die. Not my problem."
(Me: Ouch.)

Libertarian 3: "Charities will take the place of government support."
(Me: Maybe for short term, but have you ever relied on a charity?)

That last response particularly caught my attention since I've had personal experience with trying to get help from charities, hence the topic of this post. 

(Note: This post is not meant to harp on libertarians, and not all libertarians share the opinions mentioned above. Reading about Libertarianism is just how I got to this topic.)

From personal experience, while charities can help with some specific short-term needs, most are simply incapable of providing substantial long-term support. Any support they do offer is minimal and sad (but really depends on the charity tbh).


CHARITY FOOD SUPPORT


Most food pantries only offer pre-packaged shelf stable food, meaning anything fresh is off the table, and those with food allergies will likely go without. So people like me rely on food stamps to feed myself without seriously compromising my health.

There are some rare exceptions though. I used to go to a food pantry that did offer fresh vegetables, fruit, and frozen meats, and that was a freakin' lifesaver. But I've never found another like it since.


CHARITY MEDICAL CARE


Charity medical care is terrifying. Once I had to wait 4-6 hours outside a church to get a cavity filled, only to be greeted by huge crowds / sensory overload, sermons in the waiting room (triggering for me due to religious PTSD / OCD), ancient medical technology (weirdest handheld x-ray machine I've ever seen), and dental students instead of fully trained dentists (I got the filling anyway cuz I had no choice).

Medicaid doctors and dentists aren't much better, but that's besides the point. I'd take a Medicaid dentist over that charity dental day thing anytime. (Though in any case, I can brush my own teeth better than the cleanings I've gotten covered by Medicaid.)

Many charities are also religious and actively try to convert you as you're receiving support. I'm all for freedom of religion, but I should also have the freedom to not be harassed when all I need is some food or a dental cleaning. Converting to a religion, adhering to their ideology-based rules, or being preached to (non-consensually, might I add) should not be a pre-requisite to receiving support, in my opinion.

I was able to tolerate these experiences because I don't rely on them 24/7. I am lucky enough to be on SSI. I'm certain I would die early of severe stress if I had to rely on charities. So thank the stars for SSI.


POVERTY IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM + RETHINKING "LAZY"

After my reading on Libertarianism, I did some searching (specifically on YouTube) to see if anyone else on the interwebs was noticing or pointing out similar issues with charity. Sadly, most of the top results were blaming the flaws of charity on "encouraging" dependency of "lazy poor people" and the failure of recipients to become independent after receiving such benevolent (*sarcasm*) aid.

While I'm sure some people do take advantage of charity and don't make effort to improve their life, it's awfully hard put forth that effort if the support you receive is so minimal that you're stuck in a stressful limbo of barely functioning.

I don't think everyday, well-off people would even want to accept the abysmal "help" many charities offer... because why on earth would anyone want wait hours in a line to receive a few cans of green beans? (Often, not even people who really need it are able to do this.)

The suggestion that the poor are simply "lazy" misses the fact that poverty is often more of a systemic problem than an individual onewhich is a major reason why one-time / short-term charity supports cannot magically fix someone's poverty or make them self-sufficient.

I believe that what's often deemed as "lazy" seems less about willful inactivity and more about responding to situational barriers. This thoughtful article sums it up pretty well.

In my search for material that addresses the systemic nature of poverty without degrading the poor, I came across this helpful video, check it out!


What's been your experience getting support from charities? Helpful? A hindrance? Downright impossible? Comment below.

Is there a better concept than SSI that could support low-income disabled folks just as well or better? If so, what would it would look like? I'm curious to hear what y'all come up with in the comments. (be respectful tho. :))

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