Approximately 2,700 people in Saskatchewan will soon see a reduction in income benefits due to upcoming changes in the province’s social assistance supplement programs.
In the 2016-17 June budget, the government announced it was moving forward with income assistance supplement programs.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan trims spending to tackle forecasted $434M deficit
According to the government, the changes would increase equity and fairness and address the problem of duplicate benefits paying for the same need twice.
Starting on Sept. 1, the government will end the Saskatchewan Employment Supplement’s practice of grandfathering benefits for families with children aged 12 and over.
The government is also ending the exemption of Seniors’ Income Plan and Guaranteed Income Supplement top-up benefits in the Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP) and Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) program.
The provincial government will also simplify the provision of transition benefits for children under SAP and SAID when families are not receiving the Canada Child Benefit.
On Oct. 1, Saskatchewan Social Services will remove the Saskatchewan Rental Housing Supplement when calculating benefits for people receiving extra or “excess” living income under SAP or SAID.
A person getting benefits from SAID and the Saskatchewan Rental Housing Supplement would see a reduction in funds.
According to Saskatchewan Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer, the government estimates 3.9 per cent of income assistance and supplement cases will be impacted by these changes.
“If you’re a SAID client, you could get shelter through your SAID benefit, you could get shelter through the Saskatchewan rental housing supplement benefit, as well as the excess shelter. We are now saying that we need to take all of them into account when calculating the amount that you would get,” Harpauer said.
“In some cases right now, we have some receiving more for shelter than their rent is because they’ve stacked or double dipped.”
The province said it will do their best to ensure clients affected will get the support they need to adapt to any reduction in their benefits.
The Opposition NDP has spoke out against the changes, saying it makes the most vulnerable people in the province pay for the Saskatchewan Party’s mismanagement.
“Programs that help our most vulnerable keep a roof over their heads are not the reason the Sask. Party has run such deep deficits,” Nicole Rancourt, the NDP social services critic, said.
“Cutting the funding these people rely on with so little notice is not only callous and cold but it’s not the solution to any problems either. In fact, it will only create more.”
With files from Christa Dao