Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 73: Eliminate the prohibition on accessing Rental Assistance Program (RAP) and Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) housing subsidies for people on income and disability assistance.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Provincial income assistance

Recommendation 74: Extend coverage for health supplements for people accessing income or disability assistance, such as counselling services that are particularly relevant for Indigenous women.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Employment security

Recommendation 77: Rectify Indigenous women’s exclusion from the economy by:

1. Developing equitable and inclusive hiring policy and standards.
2. Creating a diversity of low-barrier jobs in the DTES with priority hiring and support for Indigenous women of the community.
3. Creating peer-based employment programs including navigation positions throughout the housing, mental health, substance use, and income support systems.
4. Ensuring Indigenous women peer workers are paid a living wage, have full benefits, and have the right to unionization.
5. Creating jobs that value and compensate skills such as weaving, beading, drum making, food harvesting, and traditional healing, and support the creation of an Indigenous women’s cooperative in the DTES.
6. Improving employment supports and workplace accommodations for Indigenous women who are single parents and/or in recovery to ensure that they are not setup to fail in their employment due to systemic barriers.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 85: Guarantee free and extended transportation:

1. Free transit pass for children ages 0-18 years old, all youth transitioning out of government care till the age of 25 years old, and for all adults on pensions, income assistance, and disability assistance.
2. Expand public transit, including HandyDart and community-based passenger van programs.
3. Access to free transportation to and from medical appointments, especially for those with disabilities and the elderly.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 87: Free postsecondary tuition:

1. Free tuition for all postsecondary education for all Indigenous women and girls.
2. Eliminate all interest on existing student loans for Indigenous women and girls.
3. Under the Single Parents Employment Initiative, extend tuition coverage to multi-year degrees and training programs and remove the restricted list of eligible careers and programs.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 88: Adoption of low-income customer rates and rules by BC Hydro and all energy providers including waiver of security deposits, late payment fees, and reconnection fees; more flexible payment arrangements; and suspension of disconnections during cold weather and for people with medical conditions.

Recommendations for safe and affordable housing for Indigenous women in the DTES

Recommendation 94: Extend the provincial Shelter Allowance for Elderly Renters (SAFER) to housing charges in nonprofit cooperative housing, and extend SAFER grants to the amount of rent increases.

Recommendations to keep Indigenous families together in the DTES

Support Indigenous families

Recommendation 120: Ensure families are able to maintain an adequate standard of living by raising income assistance and disability rates, ensuring safe and affordable housing, and guaranteeing food and transit allowances.

Recommendations to keep Indigenous families together in the DTES

Support Indigenous families

Recommendation 121: Increase financial amounts provided to caregivers under MCFD’s Home of a Relative program.

Recommendations to keep Indigenous families together in the DTES

Support Indigenous families

Recommendation 128: Implement existing recommendations by the Fostering Change Initiative and First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition. In particular:

1. Remove eligibility restrictions and increase financial and other supports for youth and young people on Youth Agreements and Agreements with Young Adults. Agreements with Young Adults should be increased to at least $1400 per month with no clawbacks.
2. Remove the maximum number of months during which young people are eligible to remain on Agreements with Young Adults.
3. Extend the age till 25 years old for how long MCFD should support young people as they transition into adulthood and continue to receive housing, food, transit, cultural, and other financial supports.
4. Remove the age limit to be eligible for free postsecondary tuition and eliminate the requirement of months in care to be eligible for free postsecondary tuition.