Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 63: Eliminate barriers to accessing income and disability assistance by reducing unnecessary eligibility criteria and simplifying the application processes. This includes:

1. Removing the two-year financial independence requirement for income assistance.
2. Basing income assistance eligibility on current income only.
3. Removing the penalty clawback for failure to work search requirements for income assistance.
4. Removing the work search requirement for mothers with children over the age of three years old.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 64: Restructure the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, including:

1. Bringing back individual caseworkers and timely individualized assistance.
2. Ensuring there are computers and Ministry support staff at every Ministry office for the purpose of helping applicants.
3. Modifying the online application for income assistance so that it is not mandatory to create an email address and BCelD.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 65: End clawbacks of income and disability assistance including clawbacks of Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits and penalties for cohabitation.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 66: Increase earnings exemptions for those on provincial income and disability assistance program, and any clawbacks must be incrementally tied to income.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 67: Raise all asset limitations for those on income assistance to bring them in line with asset limitations for those on disability benefits.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 68: Amend income and disability benefits assessments so that only relationships that display significant financial dependence or interdependence are relevant for the purposes of eligibility, and remove financial interdependence by default on the basis that a person indicates parental role for a child unless a spousal relationship can be established.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 69: No reduction of welfare for families in cases of child apprehension, so that income support and housing is maintained while mothers are in the process of getting their children back.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 70: Allow recipients of income assistance to remain on income assistance while attending postsecondary education.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 71: Provide income supports to youth transitioning out of government care until the age of 25 years old, regardless of whether or not they are employed or in school.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 72: Remove the age cap and the two-year eligibility requirement for income assistance for the Tuition Waiver Program for youth aging out of care.