have to get some help and we help them with that ,” explains Power . “ The person has to be in a situation where they ’ re not able to afford whatever they need . So , if they become unemployed and have difficulty finding new work programs , if they ’ re ill and they can ’ t work , or if they are working and need dental surgery , well it ’ s kind of hard to focus on your job every day when your face is killing you because of dental pain . So it ’ s really whatever the situation is , we ’ re there to help and to listen and provide the services that we can .”
Because Unison is still a relatively new organization , one of its biggest challenges is simply making people aware of its services . Thankfully , there are folks
John Cody like John Cody who are spreading the word about how Unison has helped them . Cody , an accomplished singer-songwriter and composer who has written songs for Tom Cochrane and Bonnie Raitt , among others , was diagnosed with cancer in his colon and then larynx a few years ago , which resulted in the loss of his singing voice and deteriorating health . While Unison makes confidentiality a primary concern , never sharing the names of those it helps , Cody made the choice to share his story to help raise awareness and money for the organization .
It was Frank Davies , the famed music producer , publisher , and founder of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame , who told Cody about Unison when he was first diagnosed about five years ago . “ It ’ s a fairly harrowing journey ,” Cody says of his battle with cancer , “ and I am not the kind of person who is squeamish about therapy . I don ’ t have some kind of peculiar sense of denial about needing it and so I took advantage of it as soon as I was aware of it .”
Like everybody who needs Unison ’ s help , Cody called and spoke with Executive Director Sheila Hamilton to share his situation . Hamilton is the only person at Unison who ever knows the identities of the people the organization helps . She creates a summary of the person ’ s situation and matches it with an ID number to maintain confidentiality before it then goes to a committee to approve assistance . “ I thought they were very kind and I felt that they were very comprehensive and friendly and obviously non-judgemental ,” recalls Cody of his first contact with Unison . “ When one finds one ’ s self in a situation due to health or any number of things where you ’ ve come up short for bills or rent or whatever , having to fill out an application is the least of your problems . I don ’ t think that theirs is particularly complicated and they keep confidentiality 100 per cent . The only reason people know about what Unison has done for me is because I ’ ve come forward , and the only reason I came forward is because I don ’ t think enough people are aware that they are around .”
In addition to the counselling services that Unison continues to provide through Morneau Shepell , Cody says Unison also provided financial relief by paying for one month ’ s rent and also supplies monthly grocery gift cards to help with food . “ I felt very relieved and taken care of in a way ,” says Cody .
“ I think that Unison is one of the most important services available to people in the music industry today . It needs to be recognized as such , supported as such , and my personal vision is that Unison Benevolent Fund is the MusiCares of Canada ,” Cody continues , referencing the larger and older U . S . -based charity associated with the Recording Academy and Grammy Awards .
To date , Unison has not rejected a single request for assistance and it plans to keep it that way , provided it can scale its private funding as demand grows due to awareness . Between 2015 and 2016 , there was a 15 per cent increase in the number of counselling services provided by Unison , and its emergency financial assistance services grew even more . In 2016 , compared to the previous year , Unison received 23 per cent more applications for assistance , which resulted in 70 per cent more funds being distributed to those in emergency situations .
“ We do not have a complete picture of 2017 at this time , however , I can tell you as of June 30 th that counselling services for 2017 have already risen 14 per cent over 2016 , with a fairly equal split between males ( 48 per cent ) and females ( 52 per cent ) calling for assistance ,” Power added in a follow-up email in late September . “ For the financial assistance program , we ’ ve already surpassed the total number of applicants who received emergency assistance in 2016 .”
In today ’ s music industry , where more and more jobs lack benefits and pensions , fewer songwriters get salaried publishing deals , and it ’ s just generally harder for independent musicians to make a sustainable living from their music , emergency assistance is needed more than ever .
“ Without [ Unison ], rock and roll eating its young is a reality . It is so important to the survival of our industry and to its artists and the people who make the music that fuel this industry ,” says Cody . “ In terms of the people who need it , the most important thing I could say is , do not feel guilty and do not have shame . Do not feel undeserving or unworthy of help . It ’ s there for you ; take advantage of it . Take the hand and let the hand pull you up .”
Michael Raine is the Senior Editor of Canadian Musician .
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