WHEREAS the provincial government announced new welfare legislation in the Employment and Assistance Act and this new Act outlined a dramatic program of welfare restructuring that includes cuts to benefits and tightening of eligibility rules, and deep cuts have also been made to the Ministry of Human Resources operating budget; AND WHEREAS the provincial government announced on February 5, 2004 additional exemptions to the two-years-out-of-five welfare rule, but these changes do not go far enough in meeting the needs of the poorest people in the province and those that are already struggling to deal with the impacts of other provincial program and service cuts; AND WHEREAS the changes to welfare effectively download provincial responsibility for people in need onto municipal governments as more hungry and homeless people are forced to seek food, shelter, and community support in our neighborhoods, streets and parks: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM call on the provincial government to change the Employment and Assistance Act to ensure welfare benefits meet the basic needs of individuals and families, including the following changes: - benefit rates be re-instated and increased support, shelter allowance and crisis grants; - easing the eligibility for child care subsidies; - reversing the requirement that single parents seek work when their youngest child reaches the age of three; - ending the three week wait for new financial assistance applicants; - abandoning the two-year independence test; - refraining from privatizing financial assistance delivery or computerized financial assistance determination; and - rescinding the law imposing welfare time limits; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the UBCM urge the provincial government to end the centralization of employment and assistance field services, so as to prevent barriers to assistance access by keeping physical services within the local community.
Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance Government is committed to building the best system of support for British Columbians most in need and helping people who are able to work, to find and keep jobs. Government has introduced policies to reform income assistance from a culture of entitlement and dependency to a culture of employment and self-reliance to ensure supports go to those who need them most. 1 Benefit rates be re-instated and increased support, shelter allowance and crisis grants British Columbias disability assistance rates are now the third highest among provinces. Income assistance rates are comparable to those of other provinces, for most family and case types. Income assistance is an income and asset based program of last resort intended to help people temporarily while they find work and to assist those who are unable to work due to a disability. In order to improve the quality of life for low and moderate-income families, the BC government provides programs that will enable individuals and families to become less reliant on income assistance. 2 Easing the eligibility for childcare subsidies The Ministry of Children and Family Development the ministry responsible for childcare recently announced major enhancements to the Child Care Program. These include: - providing full subsidy up to a threshold income of 38,000, enabling 10,000 more children to be eligible and increasing subsidy payments for 6,000 additional children cost 19 million; and - an additional 7 million in funding for licensed child care providers; and an increase of 6 million to the Capital Funding program. 3 Reversing the requirement that single parents seek work when their youngest child reaches the age of three Single parents and their children are better off with the parent working than on BC Employment Assistance. In addition to employment income, low- and moderate-income single parents receive subsidized MSP, Fair PharmaCare, childrens dental and optical, and also retain their family bonus payments, and any family maintenance payments. Self-sufficiency through work allows families to become better off financially in the long-term and leads to better futures for their children. 4 Ending the three-week wait for new financial assistance applicants Income assistance is a program of last resort and intended to be a temporary measure for employable people. A three-week work search ensures that applicants pursue employment before relying on income assistance. The work search may be waived in cases where there is an urgent need for food, shelter or medical attention. Applicants must demonstrate that they have conducted a reasonable work search. Individual circumstances are considered in determining what is reasonable and include the following factors: - availability of employment resources and employment opportunities in the applicants community; - presence of medical, physical andor mental health impairments; and - family responsibilities and circumstances which would preclude employment-seeking activities. 5 Abandoning the two-year independence test The intent of the two-year independence policy is to encourage people to seek and maintain employment, or to pursue education, as a means to achieve financial independence and to decrease the likelihood of welfare dependency. Exemptions to the two-year financial independence requirement include applicants who are pregnant, have dependent children, are under 19 years of age, are fleeing an abusive spouse or have a medical condition or persistent multiple barriers to employment. 6 Refraining from privatizing financial assistance delivery or computerized financial assistance determination The ministrys top priority is to meet clients needs effectively and efficiently. The delivery of income assistance is a public service, funded through the provincial government. Wherever possible, the ministry uses new technology and more efficient practices to deliver essential programs and services. This ensures that more resources and services are available for the people who need them most. 7 Rescinding the law imposing welfare time limits Time limits emphasize employment and personal responsibility and motivate employable clients to find a job as quickly as possible and to stay employed. The time limit policy is designed to ensure that no one who is unable to work or who is actively looking for work will lose assistance even after they have reached their time limit. Exemptions to time limits include persons with disabilities, pregnant women, single parents with young children, people in special care facilities or people with a drug or alcohol problem. 8 Centralization of Services The Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance provides services in 103 offices in five regions across the Province. In addition, services are provided in Service BC offices in remote communities such as Atlin, Queen Charlotte City and Dease Lake. In order to improve access for everyone, particularly people with disabilities and people living in remote areas, the Ministry provides services by phone and the Internet. The ministry has introduced a call center, which connects 15 communities throughout the Interior with ministry services and support. In addition, in order to ensure clients have immediate access to assistance, the ministry provides monthly payments by direct deposit.