Susan

“I don't think anybody ever, wakes up one day and says, Ooh, I think I want to raise my kid to be on the system. I hope that (children) they're not ashamed of me. That's my greatest fear. That's probably why I didn't tell them I was coming here.”

Like the story of many Yukoners, Susan moved here from the East Coast for a year and then never left. Her last job before becoming pregnant was a contract position, leaving her with no EI or maternity leave. As a single mother, her only option at the time was to apply for social assistance. This left Susan with feelings of inadequacy for having to reach out for this support for her children.

“I was raised in a house where it wasn’t acceptable. It wasn't even called social assistance in my house, it was called welfare. And there was a certain kind of person that was on welfare and we weren't it.”

It also became apparent that the system itself was set up in a way that just reinforced those feelings of inadequacy. Even though Susan volunteered at her children’s school and was an active volunteer and member of her community, the longer she was on assistance, the worse she ended up feeling about herself.

“Being on SA stopped being a financial safety net and started being how I viewed myself.”

Finding out she wasn’t alone, and finding her place in community, is what helped her through the hardest of times. She joined a parenting group that included other single parents with children around the same age, who were also on social assistance and who understood her struggles.

"There is a strength in sameness.”

This also led her to have the confidence to be a part of advocacy groups in her community and to speak up for those who were accessing the system.

30 years later however,  she still feels like social assistance comes with a stigma, which is why she wanted to remain anonymous for this project.

“I hope that (children) they're not ashamed of me. That's my greatest fear. That's probably why I didn't tell them I was coming here.”

*For the purpose of anonymity, we have changed the participant’s name to Susan for this interview.

Portrait by GBP Creative