Victor Milne forwarded:
> One fact can't be ignored: Workfare's a failure
[...]
> How many among us have ever actually witnessed a workfare crew or project in
> action? How many of us have seen or experienced the results of such labours?
> Probably very few.
I have even founded a workfare project (for my NGO), and can say that "the
results of such labours" were not a failure, but strongly depended on (and
varied with) the individual crew members. Some could get nothing right and
just disturbed the others, whereas some others (mostly >40y.o.) did a pretty
good job if supported. Some got a "real" job, some didn't.
> How intriguing then to hear news yesterday that the government is now in
> receipt of a consultant's report that says Ontario's highly popular, but
> faltering, workfare program requires substantial spending (most especially
> on child care) if it's to produce real, as well as political, success.
What all crew members had in common was that they needed "permanent"
*assistance/supervision*, some only of the work itself, but most of them
also of their person -- medical, psychological or even psychiatrical aid.
The problem was that the official "apparatchics" were completely unable
to provide the latter (personal) assistance -- not in quantity and not in
quality -- due to lack of funds and of trained assistants ! (I wonder
where they put the unemployed assistants, but I guess there are none
around here, with an offical unemployment rate below 2%).
Anyway, the program did (and still does) provide a useful work for the
public and the environment (BikeStation with recycling) that wouldn't be
possible on a business basis. Ironically, some similar programs are now
being cancelled because there are "not enough unemployed available"...
Chris
