Rallies call for changes to income assistance, say program putting more at risk of homelessness

Organizations working with weak folks in Saskatchewan are calling for modifications to the Saskatchewan Revenue Help (SIS) program, claiming it’s placing extra folks prone to ending up on the road.

Rallies have been held in Regina and Saskatoon, calling for modifications to this system.

SIS changed the Saskatchewan Help Program (SAP) and the Transitional Employment Allowance (TEA). Each packages closed out Aug. 31.

SIS has made issues far tougher for these needing that monetary assist, in line with Quint, a improvement company that helps folks get housing.

Quint owns round 100 reasonably priced rental-housing models in Saskatoon.

“In September we discovered we needed to concern 11 notices of evictions,” mentioned government director Len Usiskin. “That’s unprecedented for us.”

The principle concern: SIS deposits cash into the tenant’s checking account, the place beforehand then cash was despatched on to landlords and utility firms.

The brand new system means these receiving SIS are liable for paying their payments themselves.

“In a number of circumstances they don’t have the capability to make these funds instantly,” Usiskin mentioned, explaining some tenants could also be scuffling with completely different conditions together with debt, household conditions, or psychological well being and dependancy points.

“Individuals are falling into arrears, they’re not paying their lease, they’re utilizing the shelter allowance for different issues.”

1:50
Advocates talk about results of housing insecurity being seen all through Saskatchewan

Prairie Hurt Discount mentioned Saskatoon is seeing an increasing number of folks experiencing homelessness.

“We see them in alleys, we see them in empty heaps, and we’ve folks should you drive down twentieth avenue within the morning, folks simply sleeping on the sidewalk,” mentioned affiliate director Kayla Demong.

“Now we have a visibly homeless inhabitants to a stage we’ve by no means seen on this metropolis earlier than.”

She mentioned she worries extra folks will proceed to resort to dwelling on the road if SIS isn’t fastened.

Kristen Thoms, a supervisor with Quint, shared how this system change has affected their purchasers.

She gave the instance of ‘Johnny’, a person accessing the province’s earlier earnings assist as a result of he has an “acquired mind damage” that impacts his reminiscence and functioning.

With the outdated earnings help, Johnny’s lease and utility payments have been paid instantly. However after some confusion, Thoms mentioned Johnny was moved to SIS.

“His lease was not getting paid to his landlord, it was getting despatched to him. His utilities weren’t getting paid to the utility firm and never in full,” she mentioned.

“Johnny’s in our workplace final month crying, holding the few {dollars} he has left and he’s like ‘Look, that is all I’ve for lease’.”

She mentioned his lease for October nonetheless isn’t paid, and Quint is working with Johnny to stop him from getting evicted.

2:00
Regina landlord left coping with excessive prices after residence will get trashed by tenant

The Saskatchewan Landlord Affiliation mentioned in October, 30 per cent of tenants on SIS didn’t pay their lease, and 12 per cent solely paid a portion of it.

Beforehand this was just one to a few per cent of tenants, CEO Cameron Choquette mentioned.

“It wasn’t frequent for earnings help purchasers to be in persistent arrears like they’re now,” he mentioned.

Quint mentioned one other concern arising is many non-public landlords are saying they don’t wish to lease to somebody amassing SIS.

“The present insurance policies underneath the SIS program make it very dangerous for landlords … to lease to earnings help purchasers as a result of it’s so dangerous and comes at a big monetary value,” Cameron mentioned.

Advocates mentioned making an attempt to get folks assist can be difficult; Quint mentioned staff are ready hours on maintain making an attempt to succeed in somebody from social providers.

Prairie Hurt Discount and Quint are calling for the province to vary SIS so utilities and lease be paid instantly. Additionally they need extra social employees employed to chop down on wait occasions for assist.