She's a mother with disabilities living in 'government-induced poverty.' Here's how she's getting by.

Tina Hann walks slowly to a studio chair, settling herself down in front of a CBC camera.

She's here today to talk about something both deeply personal and distinctly human: how she's staying strong despite years of health challenges amid a system that she says does little to help her.

"I've asked. 'Is there anything for people who are disabled? No, you're getting the maximum amount,'" Hann says.

Hann, 47, lives with multiple autoimmune disorders and mobility issues. Her husband has heart problems.

They're both on disability support, parents to three kids. But, Hann says, they're only given the basics.

"It's hard. You gotta get groceries. You gotta pay bills. You know, this day and age, you cannot go without a phone or internet," said Hann. 

"I have stood in grocery lines and put things back until I could afford what was there."

Hann recently spoke with The Signal about her family's daily struggles — challenges that have only gotten worse in recent years due to the rising cost of living. The interview is part of the show's ongoing series on perseverance. Each interview introduces guests to someone in the province who shares their journey and how they are navigating it.

WATCH | Tina Hann on family life and trying to get through the day-to-day on income support: 

In this interview, Hann details first encountering food insecurity while growing up in Labrador City. It was just after her mother left an abusive relationship. Getting pregnant in Grade 12 only made things tougher.

Now in her mid-40s, Hann talks about the challenges of family life when both parents are living with disabilities. 

"There's people like us who are disabled. We physically or mentally can't work, and then we are forced to live in government-induced poverty because of things that are out of our control," she says.

Hann has two adult children and an 11-year-old daughter. She's hoping by the time her youngest reaches high school, the family will have a little more to offer her.

There are newer policies, she says, that have helped: bus passes for people on income support are crucial to remove transportation hurdles, for instance. 

"Those bus passes are gold for me and my husband. We use them a couple times a week for appointments, grocery shopping. Every Christmas I takes my daughter out looking at Christmas lights via Metrobus," she said.  

"You know, you use what you have and you just try to make the best of it."

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