Tuesday April 9, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC [Updated April 10, 2024]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
At long last, the BC government has announced improvements to the SAFER rental support program for seniors. A top-up benefit coming for people on rental assistance. There has not — until now — been an adjustment to the SAFER program since 2018.
Today Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon made the announcement in the BC Legislative Press Theatre:
“Today, we announced a one-time benefit of $430 to the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) program,” said Kahlon. That’s a form of repayment of the ‘clawback’ that has occurred as both rents and the cost of living have increased over the past six years while the SAFER support mechanism did not respond in kind.
The one-time benefit comes from a $12.3-million federal top-up for the Canada Housing Benefit, intended as one-time payments for low-income B.C. households in need. The Province is providing $15.6 million to support the longer-term improvements to SAFER.
Other improvements:
- Increased monthly supplement, an average of $110 more a month. This component will roll out soon (Kahlon says BC Housing needs time to get organized around this).
- Increased eligibility to serve 25,000 of what the government calls the most vulnerable seniors. This will be generated through the higher rent ceiling (to be reviewed annually) and higher income threshold.
While Kahlon has often noted that SAFER benefits were increased 48% in that year, there now appears to be a shift to recognizing the non-stop economic changes that are impacting affordability for seniors and most other people now — especially since the pandemic and as a result of the cumulative impact of interest rates on nearly everything.
Range of inputs:
Information was received from the BC Seniors Advocate (until recently that was now-retired Isobel Mackenzie, and is now Dan Levitt) and BC Housing and through internal reviews by the housing ministry.
We were able to get the dollars secured through Treasury, through some of the changes of reallocating dollars within BC Housing to make them available for seniors. We increased this program by 48% when we became government but we recognized that more needed to be done and that’s what has resulted in the changes today,” said Kahlon.
Broad housing challenges:
“The challenging thing for us as a society and we have to come to grips with is the fact that everyone knows we’re in a housing crisis and everyone knows we need housing yet nobody wants the housing in their backyard. We need to find ways to come together as communities and approve housing because we know that the availability of housing is going to make it easier for many people in our communities to stay in our communities, age in our communities, be close to their families. That’s what we all want to see,” said Kahlon today in his media session.
“We do have a registry for seniors but it’s a challenge given that for years we weren’t building affordable housing in this province,” said Kahlon today. “That registry is very significantly large as far as the size of people wanting access to housing.”
“The good news is that with our not-for-profit partners through new builds and through the Rental Protection Fund in protecting some of the low-cost housing units we are able to fast-track a lot of seniors to get them into housing because we’re unfortunately seeing more pressures when to in our shelters among seniors who are really struggling. We definitely need to invest and get more housing built in communities throughout the province,” the housing minister said today.
Rent ceiling will be reviewed annually:
One key critique for years has been that the rent ceiling was too low ($803) and that the income restriction was too low as well (and did not recognize involuntary income increases due to CPP, OAS and GIS that do aim to keep pace with the cost of living).
Today’s announcement sees the rent ceiling to be under an annual review and will now be set at 65% of current average rent for a 1-bedroom unit. The rent ceiling helps determine the amount of rental assistance for applicants.
Reaching more seniors:
The government says will make the support available to more seniors by:
- increasing the income limit for eligibility for SAFER from $33,000 to $37,240, so more seniors will be eligible for rental assistance;
- increasing the minimum benefit from $25 to $50 a month or $600 a year.
Public awareness campaign:
The provincial government will be launching a public awareness campaign to ensure more seniors are aware of the program. It’s possible that the very name of the program including the words ‘aid’ and ‘elderly’ have deterred some ‘younger’ seniors from choosing to participate.
Not enough, say BC Greens:
“I’m glad the government has paid attention to the deficit of the program,” said BC Greens Sonia Furnsteau today in a media availability. She articulated that low income seniors are struggling to get by with housing, medications, and food.
“We had called for $45,000 for individuals and $50,000 for couple – so the announcement today doesn’t go far enough. Whether the clawbacks of the GIS will be ending with these reforms to SAFER.
“One time benefits do not solve problems,” said Furstenau. “Every month I have to make a decisions between groceries or my prescriptions, or clothes for my kids and transportation (she articulated as the decisions being made by people in BC all the time). One time benefits cost a lot of money and deliver no substantive change,” said Furstenau with reference to the $430 one-time bonus payment coming this month to seniors who are already on the SAFER program.
“Seniors in this province are facing homelessness in their 70s after having contributed as taxpayers for their entire working years. They’re facing conditions where they can’t afford their housing,” said Furstenau. She is calling for urgency in this matter.
===== RELATED:
- Housing Ministry still reviewing their seniors rental support program (March 27, 2024)
- Seniors rental support update coming soon says housing minister (March 19, 2024)
- Rental support for seniors needs an overhaul, and fast (March 17, 2024)
- Rethink and embrace aging says new BC Seniors Advocate (January 26, 2024)
Full news release:
SAFER improved, top-up benefit coming for people on rental assistance
Improvements to the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) program and a one-time rental benefit of $430 will bring relief for families and seniors with low incomes who are receiving a rent subsidy through the Rental Assistance Program (RAP) and SAFER program.
“We are making changes to the SAFER program to support more seniors, and delivering a top-up cheque for seniors and families who are now struggling with the cost of living and rent,” said Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s Minister of Housing. “This benefit, and the long-term changes to SAFER, will help ensure more seniors and families can remain in their homes.”
The one-time benefit will go to recipients of B.C.’s RAP and SAFER rent supplement programs. Current recipients automatically qualify and no action is required. Recipients will receive the one-time benefit with their regular RAP or SAFER payment in April 2024. In addition to the one-time benefit, changes are being made to the SAFER program that will allow an estimated 4,800 more seniors to qualify, and existing recipients will see an increase of approximately $110 per month, bringing the average monthly subsidy for existing clients to $310.
The changes to SAFER and the one-time benefit come at a time when the rising costs of living and the housing crisis are affecting people throughout the province, especially seniors with low or fixed incomes. The Province expanded eligibility for SAFER and RAP in 2018, increasing the monthly rental-assistance amounts for each program. Even with those changes, rent ceilings have not kept up with market rents and seniors in particular, are increasingly vulnerable.
Improvements to the SAFER program will make it available to more seniors by:
- increasing the income limit for eligibility for SAFER from $33,000 to $37,240, so more seniors will be eligible for rental assistance;
- increasing the minimum benefit from $25 to $50 a month or $600 a year;
- rent ceilings, which help determine the amount of rental assistance for applicants, can now be reviewed and amended annually; and
- launching a public awareness campaign to ensure more seniors are aware of the program.
SAFER provides seniors with low incomes financial support to help pay monthly rent. Clients in the new, higher income ranges may receive an average subsidy of $190 per month.
“This payment brings timely relief for low-income seniors and families experiencing increased living and rental costs,” said Harwinder Sandhu, Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care. “I look forward to the impact the upcoming improvements to the SAFER program will have for seniors in need, part of our government’s ongoing commitment to helping seniors live safely and comfortably in their own homes.”
The one-time benefit comes from a $12.3-million federal top-up for the Canada Housing Benefit, intended as one-time payments for low-income B.C. households in need. The Province is providing $15.6 million to support the longer-term improvements to SAFER.
“The Canada Housing Benefit is helping Canadians in need afford their housing costs,” said Sean Fraser, federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. “With this additional funding, our goal is to ease the pressure on residents in British Columbia who are struggling to cover their living expenses. We will continue working with other levels of government to address ongoing housing challenges. This is just one of the many ways that the National Housing Strategy is helping to ensure every Canadian has a safe and secure home.”
Through the Province’s Homes for People action plan, government is providing seniors throughout British Columbia with the supports they need, to be able to stay in their homes where they feel safe and connected.
===== LINKS:
- Rental Assistance Program: https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/rental-assistance-programs/RAP
- Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters program: https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/rental-assistance-programs/SAFER
- Government’s new Homes for People action plan: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HOUS0019-000436
- Steps the Province is taking to tackle the housing crisis and deliver affordable homes for people in British Columbia: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/housing