Photo from the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) program handbook, courtesy Saskatchewan Government.
The province’s Ministry of Social Services is explaining some complex changes coming to social assistance recipients that start taking effect on September 1.
The gist is that income supplements will be subject to more strict conditions, and about 2,700 hundred people will receive less benefits. The changes affect the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) program and Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP).
Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer acknowledges this will make it tough for clients to balance their expenses.
“There’s no doubt this is going to be difficult, so I encourage those clients to work with their worker. We’re going to do a case by case, one-on-one, working with different clients and see if there are extenuating circumstances in some cases,” she said.
The reason for the changes, Harpauer said, is to make sure people living in similar situations are getting the same income. A news release from Monday said this is about “equity and fairness.”
In part, this means housing funds allocated by provincial programs should provide only the cost of current housing, with no excess. This includes cases where people need special housing that accommodates their disabilities.
“We are now saying that we need to take all of (the applicable programs) into account when calculating the amount that you would get. It would still be above the normal to acknowledge your special circumstances but in some cases right now we have some receiving more for shelter than their rent is because they’ve stacked or double dipped.”
They’re also eliminating a program that provided extra money for those who pay more for rent than was allowed for in their benefits. That program was brought in when the housing vacancy was below three per cent, and – for six months – provided extra funds for people to rent places that fell above the normal rental allowance.
“Later when (vacancy rates) no longer became an issue, a decision was made to grandfather those clients that were receiving that amount of money,” Harpauer said.
With these changes coming, she said social services will work with people to find housing that they can afford through their assistance.
The NDP points out that it wasn’t until we were in a deficit that the province announced these reductions in funding to Saskatchewan’s most vulnerable.