Individual advocacy involves providing support for low-income individuals and families to ensure that they are receiving those benefits that they are entitled to and that they are being treated fairly by the institutions that they are dealing with. RAPM attempts to mediate conflict between individuals and institutions so that there are mutually agreed upon resolutions, and we do represent clients through the various appeal processes which are in place to resolve conflicts.
A majority of our individual advocacy casework involves responding to decisions made by the Income Assistance and Disability Services Division of the Ministry of Social Services. Since the closure of the Welfare Rights Centre in 2011, we are the only community organization with a mandate to provide this service. We also represent clients within a range of other institutions.
Our income security advocacy includes handling social assistance cut-offs and denials, underpayments and overpayments, shelter and utility coverage, as well as special household, medical, travel, dietary and disability needs. Poverty reduction is about ensuring that all people living in Saskatchewan have the right resources to be healthy and to thrive, to feel included and to feel they have control of their lives.