Income Assistance

Your B.C. government has created an income assistance program that focuses on supports for people with disabilities and those who are unable to work, and provides skills training for those on income assistance who can work.

What your B.C. Government is doing for Income Assistance:

Since 2001, the Province has helped almost 59,000 people transition from assistance into employment.
Your B.C. Government invests $70 million annually in employment programs to help income assistance earners gain stable employment.
All British Columbians, whether they have a fixed address or not, can apply for income assistance.
The average starting wage for clients who found work through our Employment Program is $14 per hour; that’s $1,180 per month more than welfare for a single person on regular assistance.
Compared to June 2001, the average monthly payment for income assistance has climbed by $145 (20 per cent) to almost $845 in April 2008.
The Province also added a $500 earning exemption for persons with disabilities that allows them to work as they are able without having that income deducted from their assistance cheques.
88 per cent of people leaving income assistance do so because they find employment, start an education program or their financial position improves.

For more information:
Ministry of Housing and Social Development

Five Great Goals

Income Assistance