Social Policy Trends: Social Assistance Caseloads in Alberta by Family Composition

Authors

  • Ronald D. Kneebone University of Calgary
  • Margarita (Gres) Wilkins University of Calgary

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11575/sppp.v11i0.44203

Abstract

SOCIAL ASSISTANCE CASELOADS IN ALBERTA BY FAMILY COMPOSITION

During Alberta’s recent economic recession, most new social assistance cases were filed for single individuals.

Alberta Works is a social assistance program that allows certain individuals to receive income support from the provincial government. One of the eligibility criteria is that those persons must be free of physical or mental limitations that could affect their employment opportunities. Once they are accepted into the Alberta Works program, those persons are filed under the Expected To Work (ETW) classification. This classification, and the composition of the individual’s family, determines the level of income support to which they are entitled. In 2017, a single adult was eligible to receive, from all sources, up to $674 per month in income benefits. A single parent with one child was eligible to receive $1,661 and a couple with two children was eligible for $2,608 per month. The graph on the right shows, during the period from April 2004 until May 2017, the number of ETW cases identified by the family composition of those receiving the benefits.

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Published

2018-04-20

Issue

Section

Communiqués