The Unemployed Need Practical Help!

I am an unemployed single parent with a mental illness struggling to find work in St. John’s Newfoundland.  I have a five year degree in social work but I cannot find work in my field in this city.  Child protection is the gateway job to all other social work jobs.  This means that I cannot find a job in my field because working in child protection places me a risk of relapse into depression.  Retraining is not an option for me in that I cannot get funding and to get a student loan forces me into a new form of poverty.  Repaying student debt takes a huge chunk out of the salary a person makes if they are lucky enough to find work at all.  In 2010 Newfoundland had the highest rate of employment in Canada at 15.5%.  For the unemployed individual numerous programs have been formed which provide employment counseling without any practical assistance being provided.  You are enrolled in information sessions about how to prepare a resume.  Following this you are told that the bulk of the jobs are found in the hidden job market.  Job seekers are encouraged to hit the bricks with their resume in hand and the goal is to wow potential employers with what you have to offer.  For those who are unsuccessful in their job search responsibility is placed on the individual rather then on the recessed economy.  Employment counselors are reluctant to admit that jobs are scarce largely because doing so challenges their own employment.  The YMCA offers employment counseling as does the T.I. Murphy Centre and also Human Resources Labor and Employment.  For job applicants who already have a degree they are told that they do not qualify for retraining funding as they have skills that are transferable.  The reality is that many of the individuals with degrees are perceived as being over qualified for many jobs and are thus eliminated in the competition.  Jobs that are advertised in the paper and on job sites on the net often are filled with temporary people before the job is posted.  The successful candidate is often pre-selected through word of mouth networks.  For those applicants without contacts or networks they are placed at a significant disadvantage.  I have a professional degree and I have applied for numerous jobs without acknowledgment that my resume has been received.  I was told by an employment counselor today that I have not been successful in that I have forwarded my resume by email and not in person.  I learned from another employment counselor some time ago that many employers don’t want to receive cold calls or in person visits.  Yet the unemployed are being told to do just that.  In March of this year my unemployment benefits run out and I will be forced to apply for income support.  I would not be able to survive in St. John’s if I did not live in subsidized housing.  Despite this fact out of the $1000 a month I will receive for myself and my ten year old $517 of this will go towards my rent.  This leaves less than $500 a month for groceries, car and house insurance, phone and cable, pet supplies and incidentals.  This is seen as adequate income to live on despite the high demand for food banks and shelter.  As a single parent I face unique challenges around the high cost of child care which is essential if I am to enter the paid work force.  Of further challenge is the fact that I have a chronic mental health condition that can be triggered by stress in my life.  Stigma runs rampant in society and if one is having a off day it is often misinterpreted as a byproduct of mental illness.  I am tired of the growing trend of positive thinking that strips individuals of the right to feel negative thoughts of any kind.  The idea is that we determine the outcome of our day by the way that we think.  The difficulties faced by single parents with disabilities who are living in poverty gives one very little to smile about.  Practical problems such as how does one afford transportation costs while job hunting in person is often not considered by employment organizations.  The only feasible support and help I have received is from the Single Parents Association of Newfoundland and Labrador that is housed in St. John’s.  They offer a food and clothing bank to single parent families.  They also offer emotional support and validation of the single parent experience.  Most importantly they provide a SESP employment program that allows families to earn $300 plus dollars over the income support cap.  This allows families to provide basic necessities for their families until they can procure full-time employment.  After six months of unsuccessful job search as an employment insurance recipient I have grown tired and discouraged.  The only validation I have received has been from the Single Parents Association.  I realize that if I ever want to work in the field of social work I will need post secondary training at the masters level through student loan.  This is tenuous at best given I am in my early fifties and it will take me years to pay off student debt if I am fortunate to find a job at all.  Ageism is alive and well as is discrimination against single parents and those with mental illnesses.  I am a fighter and as a trained social worker I can recognize the huge gaps in service that exist for the unemployed.  Nothing is to be gained by creating an illusion of employment prospects in the intangible world of the hidden job market.  The unemployed are growing tired and many feel beaten down dealing with bureaucracies that cite platitudes and largely blame the victim if they are unsuccessful procuring employment.  Thankfully organizations such as the Single Parents Association exist that validate the lived experience of single parents like myself.  What is needed is less talk by organizations about intangible job opportunities and that people earn their keep by providing practical assistance to the unemployed.