The Cracks in the Foundation-Part 2

 Part 2: The Cracks in the Foundation

In 1993, the first major crack appeared—quiet but devastating. The federal government stopped funding social housing. No more co-ops. No more affordable apartments being built for everyday people.

At the time, most of us didn’t really understand what it meant. I was young. I didn’t realize that this one decision would change the future for millions of Canadians—especially single mothers like me.

By the early 2000s, BC made its own cuts. In 2001, the BC Liberal government slashed welfare rates and tightened eligibility. They brought in the “three-week wait” rule for assistance—making people prove they were “really poor” by suffering first. Rent control was weakened.

They also shut down the Human Rights Commission.

Let that sink in. A government in a democracy decided we didn’t need a Human Rights Commission anymore.

And so began the long, slow erosion of support. Like a coastline eaten by the sea, piece by piece, our safety nets wore away—until many of us were dangling by a thread.

People say things like, “Why don’t you just get a job?” or “Just move to a cheaper place!”
But those options are gone.

Jobs? They want youth, speed, free availability, and a long list of tech skills. Employers ghost you after 300 applications. Job programs are a joke—running on expired software and outdated thinking.

Housing? There’s no “cheap” anymore. Not in BC. Even trailers cost over $100,000 now. The BC government’s own stats show that people on social assistance get $675 for rent—when the average studio is over $2,000.

We were never meant to survive this.

Even volunteering, once a noble way to contribute, feels exploitative now. I gave tons of hours to schools, festivals, arts orgs, and communities. But when it was my turn to need support—help finding work, help with housing—those same organizations had nothing to offer but silence or referrals to already overstretched systems.

We’ve turned everything into a gig. Care work, teaching, journalism, food delivery—it’s all piecemeal. The middle class is slipping, and the working class has become the hustling class.