Nova Scotia's homeless, low income families can't afford sunscreen

It's hard to think of sunscreen as a luxury, but for many homeless and low income Nova Scotians it's financially out of reach and could lead to health risks down the road.

Donna Hatchard occasionally asks for spare change on Spring Garden Road. The 49-year-old lives on social assistance and panhandles to help pay the bills.

She says standing outside all day has been an issue for her in the past.

"Actually, I was out one day last summer and I got burned so bad that it was all infected," she said. "I had to go on antibiotics and creams." 

​Despite her experience, sunscreen is still something she can't afford.

"I don't buy it, I can't. If it happens the food bank has some or somebody gives me some, then I use it. But if not, I can't afford $10 or $12," she said.

Feed Nova Scotia has said they will provide its food banks with sunscreen when it is donated.

'It's impossible'

Glenda Miller says she can barely afford sunscreen for her youngest son, who is seven years old.

"Low income, they cannot afford it. It's impossible," she said. "Especially my friends have some of their kids in daycare and you got to have some at home and some at daycare as well. You can't do it."

Miller says she knows parents who send their kids to school without sunscreen in hopes that other children or parents will share theirs.

Shauna McPherson and Kelly Bullock are both on social assistance and have made sacrifices. They admit when their children were young, they'd only put sunscreen on the children and not themselves.

McPherson said she knows the sun exposure will take a toll.

"Eventually my skin is going to be so damaged from not having the sunscreen that it's going to cause problems in the future," she said. "Skin cancer, so much stuff to worry about, now we have to worry about the sun burning us alive."

Bullock suggests when seeing someone on the street asking for help, think about giving them a bottle of sunscreen.

Patti Melanson is a nurse with the mobile outreach street health program operated by the North End Community Health Centre. She said they give out samples from the manufacturer, and will also purchase sunscreen on occasion to distribute.

"We try to have it as much as possible, and we see that as an important part of our outreach and care delivery," she said.

Melanson said those who can't afford sunscreen are part of the bigger picture of poverty — one that is serious, but not insurmountable.

"We're not looking good on the world front in terms of where we place. One in seven children live in poverty in Canada," she said. 

"It's a significant issue. It's an issue that's not getting the political attention and political will it needs."