I would like to know why the workers in the Community Services (Welfare) office are hiding behind two windows of bullet-proof plexiglass as if their clients are criminals or second-class citizens requiring segregation. I also saw a large double mirror and a large sign warning the premises was under constant video surveillance. This is an office that is open to the public whose clients are out of work or down on their luck professionals, people out of work due to the economy or illness. These are people suffering from financial hardship, people of diverse ethnicity, elderly, hearing impaired people, disabled, single mothers, and low income students. While waiting over an hour in the waiting room to meet with an intake worker with whom I had an appointment, I noted that every single person who entered the office, acted politely and respectfully… even the gentleman who had been trying for over a month in vain to receive a cheque in order to pay his rent, said please and thank you. The workers behind the plexiglass brushed off his issues with an expressionless shrug and said someone would call him. His concerns fell upon deaf ears. Even I, dressed in a suit jacket, was interrupted when I asked the receptionist a question after waiting my turn in line. I was dismissed and told to take a seat as if what I was about to say did not matter. I looked around the waiting room, there were children’s toys strewn about, a sign on the wall about the office being a “Respectful workplace” and pretty, colourful (yet very hypocritical) posters illustrating diversity. This office is situated in a medical centre. The other offices in the building and area are not secured nor are they under such surveillance. Your clients are members of the general public. You should not feel the need to put up bullet proof walls and lock all of your offices as though you are running a high-security penitentiary. We are not dangerous criminals. We have committed no crimes. If we had; we would be in jail. Why must I feel like an outcast of society because I need to receive the benefits to which my tax dollars have been contributing for over 15 years? Why must we, innocent and free citizens – HUMAN BEINGS endure such discrimination and oppression at the hands of our government? How dare this government office conduct business with such blatant and egregious oppression and discrimination. This segregation is disgusting! You should know that the law does not permit discrimination based on financial hardship, illness, ethnicity or unemployment. Perhaps you have dealt with irate people in the past and some genius thought such measures would be a good idea. Perhaps, you should treat people as human beings worthy of respect and equality and provide the assistance to which they are entitled – then maybe they would not become so irate. I used to earn $50,000 per year and I used to earn respect. I have never felt so low in my life because of your office culture of discrimination and the atmosphere of segregation you created and allow to continue. I recently applied for a position with Community Services (Secretary 3). This apparently “dangerous criminal /druggie /thief/ crazy person” might just soon be your new colleague. —Take down the walls – this isn’t Berlin!
This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2014.
Says the person who has never had a “dangerous criminal /druggie /thief/ crazy person” go off on them in a public space, ever.
And, um, the Berlin Wall fell awhile ago. I was there.
If the people on the otherside of the tims counter were spit on or threatened by 1:50 people, you’d see plexi-glass at their workstation windows too.
just because you didn’t see the speed-freak in the room today doesn’t mean they don’t come in….. on a regular basis.
First of all, Sport, it’s not the government, it’s the civil service. Politicians and Parties come and go, but the fossilized dinosaur shit of C.U.P.E remains. Being rude, arrogant and dismissive are union mandated perquisites.
The high security aspect, is probably the result of prior incidents, with actual criminals, druggies, thieves, etc.
Try not to take it personally.
The reason the receptionist “blew you off” when you tried to tell your story is that he or she can not do anything and listening to you would have been a waste of time.
Darrell Dexter.
MABO doesn’t much care for thugs and thieves.
OB, you have no idea the measures a desperate person may go to. I have seen a seemingly calm person go absolutely insane, foaming at the mouth over the smallest of percieved slight. Just imagine what a person off their meds or driven to desperate means by their personal predicaments might do. its better to be safe than sorry. If they take down this offending personal safety measures and something happens, will you be the first to step up and take the blame for it? NO of course not.
I’m sorry you’re down on your luck, OB. It’s certainly disheartening to go from a liveable working wage to social assistance, and reminds us that it can happen to anyone of us.
That being said, and I know you’re obviously having a difficult time with this, but what you need to realize is, MOST government services provided to the public are on lock down, Access NS (now Service NS) being an exception. But, if you visit, for example Labour Standards, you actually can’t even go up to their offices without going through the commissionaire first, who has to buzz you in in the elevator after they call up to personnel and get their OK to send you up. Once you’re up there, the receptionist is behind glass and the offices are behind secure doors (you have to wait in the hallway). When you visit NS Student Assistance, you cannot go right into the waiting area to speak to a representative in person – you have to be buzzed into the secure area by the building’s commissionaire.
In fact, not even government employees have access to all areas. If you work for the government, both federally or provincially, you generally only have access to your department’s spaces, even if two departments share the same building. You may have access to one floor in the building, but not another. And you may even have access to one part of a floor, and not another. For instance, down in the Terminal road building, Labour and Advanced Ed shares space with Justice. Justice can’t access LAE’s floors and LAE can only access one floor Justice is on (because they have conference rooms and their mail room on that floor), but can’t access Justice’s offices on that floor. And for that matter, some branches and divisions are on lock down from others in the same department.
So I don’t think the government thinks those accessing DCS’s services are pieces of garbage and I don’t think it’s their intention to treat anyone with disrespect, it’s that it’s just general protocol to have tight security government-wide, and ALL government offices are monitored through CCTV filtering out to the commissionaire for each building.
As for the receptionist – there’s really no excuse for being rude, but the fact is, she can’t answer your questions – and people, impatient from waiting (because that’s just what happens when you access government services – there are only so many resources for a lot of people) will always press for answers this person can’t give you. I’ve had random people call my extension who want totally different departments (and I’m not a receptionist or someone who takes calls from the public as part of their job description) who keep asking questions I can’t answer about totally different departments/portfolios even after I tell them they have dialed a wrong number. It’s just the nature of the beast when you’re dealing with the general public accessing government services and I’m guessing this happens to this person many times on a daily basis.
Besides, getting upset about how others view you is a complete waste of time and energy. Who cares if someone thinks you’re trash for accessing social assistance. Do YOU think you’re trash? Do the people who know and who you respect you think you’re trash? No? Well that’s all that matters.
Good luck, OB, I really hope things turn around for you, soon.
Excuse me, dear Poster, but that bullet-proof plexiglass & surveillance system is there for a reason.
If you have to face what these employees did, you’d want protection too. Angry, hostile and self-entitled recipients are the norm, not the exception.
Welfare, in this province, is a way of life for some, not a temporary measure to get on one’s feet.
The clerk has NO idea you once earned $50,000 and had ‘respect’. Otherwise, she’d be called a mind reader. Perhaps you should have tied a sign around your neck, boldly advising them of this crucial fact.
I wish you the best of luck but I don’t think you understand the full story of Community Services and what they have to deal with on a daily basis.
Dangerous criminal /druggie /thief/ crazy person, how on earth did you lose a $50k a year job?
Was it because you were a dangerous criminal /druggie /thief/ crazy person?
Well, if it’s a choice between not offending someone’s delicate sensitivities and protecting myself from the potential for harm, I’m going to go with the latter every single time.
These people aren’t discriminating against you, OB, they’re protecting themselves. DCS has to deal with A LOT of unstable people (how much time have you really spent in that office? Are you in there all day, day in and day out?), and unfortunately, workplace safety of employees trumps the chip you have on your shoulder (the law says so). And like I said: who cares what some random thinks of you? As long as you get your assistance, who really gives a flying fart?
This idea has merit:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/free-money…
I have friends who work in social services. Physical violence is a real issue. As a society, we off load the mentally ill, the addicted, and the frustrated and desperate upon the welfare services. It isn’t surprising that that results in assaults. Dealing with that danger isn’t part of their job description. Your story is genuinely unfortunate, but if you look at it from the workers’ perspective, I think you’ll understand. The glass isn’t for you, it is for the violent people they deal with on a regular basis.
Don’t blame ur shortcomings as a mental health professional on those who need help the most.
DELETED COMMENT
My comment on this bitch was deleted. It was very brief but edgy. Having emerged from the charge of harbouring Nazi sympathies I now discover that I am now under suspicion for harbouring racist sympathies. In neither case is this accurate.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
I have a lot respect for social workers, I can tell you they don’t ever want to see someone go without but they have to follow rules and protocol, they may seem like monsters sometime but they have to follow rules or they’ll be on the outside looking in too!
I totally agree with the precautions they take, dealing with any sort of tight income is stressful, people can react bad, criminal or not. Money and financial stress causes the most stress in the world today and can make some people do some nasty things, and the social worker will always take the brunt of it.
So maybe the next time you go the office you should thank them, they are working at their best under a lot of stress too, but they are working for your best interest and they will do everything they can for your situation, the best way to go in to a meeting is 100% full cooperation, I commend all the workers who have to deal with irate clients and take all the stresses and still push on!!!
OP has no idea how many truly dangerous people Community Services has to deal with on a daily basis.
A social worker once told me about how many just-out-of-jail sex offenders they have to “serve” (give money to) on any given day, and how the most frightening ones are the ones who have spent years intentionally cultivating a “normal” (and often very charming) personality as part of their method of getting access to children. With people like that, even seemingly innocuous small talk can be interpreted as an “invitation” or “interest.”
OP, I’m sorry that you have lost your job and are in need of some extra support. It could happen to anyone. But be wary of people you meet in the waiting rooms of “the system.” Some are good folks who just need a hand, like yourself, but others are people you must avoid at all costs.
And don’t blame the staff for the need for security. Social work is one of the toughest jobs there is, and most people don’t last in it very long. If you want to give it a try, I commend you, but if you do, you will soon understand the very real need for the serious security measures at the offices.