Income Security: A Roadmap for Change

A TRANSFORMED SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
STRUCTURE
RATE STRUCTURE
Recommendation 11: Transform the social assistance rate structure so
that all adults have access to a consistent level of support regardless of
living situation (i.e., rental, ownership, board and lodge, no fixed address,
rent-geared-to-income housing, government-funded facility).
The current structure of social assistance income support and benefits contributes
to complexity, the culture of intrusiveness and “policing”, and the burden
shouldered by people seeking help. It does not reflect how people budget in
their everyday lives and assumes people living in poverty should not have choice
and dignity The structure makes it hard for people to know what supports are
available and onerous for front-line workers to deliver the programs effectively
Social assistance rates vary based on where you live, with whom you live and
what your shelter costs are This means individuals have to provide continuous
proof of their actual shelter costs and living arrangements They have to disclose
if they are living with roommates or alone, if someone prepares their food
for them, and if they are in social housing If they live with someone who is
unrelated, a common situation in today’s high-cost housing market, they have to
demonstrate how much rent they contribute and, after three months, they may
be considered spouses based on an intrusive test
112 Income Security: A Roadmap for Change