Skip to main content

Skip to navigation

The access keys for this page are:

For The Record

INCOME ASSISTANCE CASELOAD FACTS

July 30, 2009
Ministry of Housing and Social Development
 

Here are the facts on income assistance in British Columbia.

  • In June 2009, the number of individual British Columbians dependent on income assistance was 164,186, a 0.66 percent increase over last month.
  • Despite this increase, since 2001 the number of people dependent on income assistance has dropped almost 35 per cent, which represents approximately 85,000 less clients collecting income assistance in 2009.
  • The number of clients who are Expected to Work (ETW) make up about 30 per cent of  the caseload, while about 70 per cent of clients are Persons With Disabilities (PWD) or have persistent multiple barriers to employment.
  • The higher percentage of PWD cases in 2009 results from several factors, including: an expanded definition that includes mental illness as a disability, an increased life expectancy for people with disabilities, and an increasingly aging population.
  • The government has been investing over $70 million a year in employment programming for income assistance clients.
  • BC's total income assistance rates are third highest of Canadian provinces for employable singles and fourth for PWDs.
  • BC's support rates are second highest (of 7 provinces that provide a breakdown) for PWDs.
  • BC's shelter rates are second highest (of 8 provinces that provide a breakdown) for employable singles, and third highest for couples and families with children (based on a single parent with one child, and a two parent family with two children) and singles temporarily excused from employment obligations. 

Information on BC Employment and Assistance can be found at: www.hsd.gov.bc.ca/bcea.htm