Social Development

The Social Development Worker oversees the following programs;

Basic Shelter
Special Needs
GFA
Family Support
Community Services
Tessi
Meals on Wheels
NCB (National Child Benefits)

When you apply for Social Assistance remember to bring in the following information;

ID
Hydro Bill
Phone Bill
Last Pay Stub

Unearned Income

General Principle

Applicants and recipients are required to use all income not specifically considered as exempt to support themselves before receiving social assistance.

Employability and Eligibilty

General Principle

For the purpose of determining eligibilty for social assistance or benefits, an applicant is considered to be applying on behalf of the applicant's family, and in accordance with the criteria set out in the Social Development Policy and Procedures Manual.

Definition of Employable Person

Employable person means a person who is not:

A dependent child
A person with level one disability
Sixty-five or more years of age

Requirement to Seek Work

Employable applicants and spouses must be available for, and activeley seeking work at all times. This does not apply to:

Family members where one members is a "person with level two disability"
An adult dependent who does not meet the residency requirements
An applicant who is a single parent with at least one dependent child who:

- Is under three years of age

- Has a physical or mental condition precluding the single parent from leaving home for the purpose of employment

Persons who fail to demonstrate participation in employment-related activities, including employment search, may be found ineligible for social assistance.

Single parents who indicate lack of child care as an impediment to employment search must demonstrate that all reasonable efforts have been made and no form of child care is available in their community.

Persons are not required to accept employment that pays below minimum wage.

Recipients who are able to access Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) programs, are encouraged to participate.

Temporary Excused

A recipient who is employable, but unable to look for work for a short period of time due to illness or personal circumstances may be temorarily excused from job search activities.

The recipient is still considered employable, and receives assistance at employable rates.

There is no requirement for a "person with a level one disability" to seek work or participate in employment-related activities during the period of Disability Benefits Level I (DBL I) designation.

Verification of illness, DBL I, or other circumstances must be documented on the recipient's file with a date when they are able to resume seeking work.

Proof of Effort

The administering authority may request employable appplications and spouses to prove they are available for, and actively seeking work.

Non-Eligibility

Employable persons who quit work, are fired for cause, or refuse work that is in accordance with provincial labour laws, are not eligible for social assistance.

Employable persons who are disqualified from receiving employment insurance (EI) benefits due to quitting work, being fired for cause, or for refusing work, are not eligible for basic social assistance.

Employable persons awaiting EI benefits, or who have been disqualified for failing to submit federal EI program report cards on time are not eligible for basic social assistance.

Employable persons who quit work for health reasons must provide supporting documentation from a physician in order to establish eligibility for basic social assistance.

Employable persons are not eligible for social assistance for a period of 30 days, beginning with the date the employable person or any adult depedent:

Failed to accept suitable employment
Voluntarily left employment without just cause
Was dismissed from employment for just cause

The above does not apply to single parents with a dependent under three years of age or a dependent under 19 years of age who has a mental or physical condition that results in the parent being unable to leave the home.

Students - Eligibility

Employable persons who are students may be eligible for supplementary social assistance provided that the employable person:

Remains resident on reserve
Is in a program of study which will lead directly to employment or significantly enhance employability
Enrolled in an "unfunded program of studies" for which student financial assistance may not be provided
Provides documentation that they are in receipt of maximu, benefits from the training or educational funding agency (see chapter 3, application and assessments)
Meets all other eligibilty requirements

Employable persons who fall into one of the above categories may be considered for hardship assistance (see chapter 7, hardship assistance).

Full-time post-secondary students are not eligible for supplementary social assistance during the school term, except for the following:

Dependent children; and
Recipients of Disability Benefits Level II (DBL II) and their spouses

The "school term" includes the month in which classes begin and the month in which final examinations are given.

A full-time student means a person who, during a confirmed period within a period of studies:

Is enrolled in courses that constitute at least 60 percent of a course load recognized by the designated educational institutional as constituting a full-time course load; and
Whose primary occupation during the confirmed periods within that period of studies is the pursuit of studies in those courses

A person with DBL II can elect to be considered a full-time student when enrolled in courses that constitute at least 40 percent and less than 60 percent of a course load recognized by the designated educational institution as constituting a full course load.

Students whose post-secondary education is being sponsored under a federal or provincial government training/education plan remain eligible for social assistance.

Part-time students remain eligible for social assistance provided other eligible requirements are met.

There are no exceptions for loans, grants, or allowances issued through the BC Student Assistance Programs (BCSAP), except as indicated in the Flat Rate Exemption and Order of Income table in Chapter 4, Eligibility.

Recipients, who have applied for and are awaiting student financial assistance are eligible for continued assistance until they enter into the post-secondary programs, provided all eligibility criteria has been met.

Social assistance will not be provided for the month after student financial assistance is received.

Students who exhaust their loan, grants, and bursaries during the course of a semester, where a student loan or allowance has been provided, remain ineligible for social assistance, and may be directed to contact their school's student financial aid office or student loan office.

Shelter Allowances Overview

Eligibility

A shelter allowance may only be issued to meet actual, documented shelter costs (up to a maximum shelter variable) if the following conditions apply:

The applicant meets social assistance eligibility requirements
The applicant occupies the dwelling
In the event that a significant change occurs, the change must be documented, and evidence must be placed on the client file
Evidence of actual costs, in the form of billings, receipts for fuel, utility, etc., and rental agreements, is produced for the administering authority and maintained on the client file.

Shared Shelter

In situations where two or more people (neither of who is the spouse nor dependent of the other), or two or more families share a common dwelling, the administering authority will divide the documented allowable shelter costs by the number of people occupying the common dwelling.

When calculating a recipient's shelter costs for two or more families who occupy the same place of residence, the allowable documented shelter costs of any one of them will be accepted.