Low-income seniors and families who receive rental support will receive more money a month to help with the rising cost of living, the B.C. government announced Thursday. Read More
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says residents that receive money for the rental assistance program will now receive $700 a month, up from $400.
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says residents that receive money for the rental assistance program will now receive $700 a month, up from $400.
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Low-income seniors and families who receive rental support will receive $300 more a month to help with the rising cost of living, the B.C. government announced Thursday.
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B.C.’s Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon low-income families and seniors that receive money for the rental assistance program (RAP) will see their increases go up to $700 a month from $400, while the shelter aid for elderly renters supplement (SAFER) will increase by nearly 30 per cent, bringing the average monthly subsidy for existing seniors to $337.
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He added that B.C. will also expand the eligibility of the RAP program and double the capacity to 6,000 families and seniors from about 3,000. That means the household income limit for eligibility will go from $40,000 to $60,000 before taxes.
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“We know that many families have faced the challenges with global inflation, with interest rates going up, but now with the new uncertainties that come with tariffs, it is seniors and low-income families that are going to bear the brunt of a lot of those tariffs,” said Kahlon at a news conference Thursday.
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“We’ve already been hearing from a lot of seniors who are really concerned because they have pensions and they’re seeing the stock market continue to collapse, and wondering what does that mean for them in retirement and support around that.”
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The government will also increase the household income limit for eligibility for SAFER to $40,000 from $37,240, which is expected to benefit about 1,600 more seniors.
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Dan Levitt, B.C. seniors advocate, said he is pleased more seniors will be eligible for SAFER payments but he’d like the program be indexed to inflation and have government commit to ensuring the program is meeting its goal to have recipients paying no more than 30 per cent of their income on rent.
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“The seniors’ demographic in B.C. is increasing rapidly and supports such as SAFER are critically important for the quality of life for low-income seniors,” said Levitt.
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Last week, B.C. Housing slashed $421,000 in annual funding for Whole Way House’s Seniors Enhanced Independent Living program, leaving the charity scrambling to find a way to continue supporting some of the region’s most at-risk residents.
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Jenny Konkin, founder and president of Whole Way House, told Postmedia the funding cut means seniors who are already struggling to afford food and medication, some near the brink of homelessness, will now lose these essential services.
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Last year, in April, the provincial government announced a one-time $430 payment, plus increases in monthly benefits, income eligibility and rent ceilings that will allow about 4,800 more seniors to qualify for the shelter aid for elderly renters program, or SAFER.
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However, Levitt, called on the provincial government to overhaul the program that provides rent subsidies for low-income seniors, saying those improvements did not go far enough to protect low-income seniors.
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More to come…
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With files from Sarah Grochowski and Glenda Luymes
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