The Government of B.C. last week announced a change to the income and disability assistance program that will help single parents secure a meaningful job by allowing them to stay on assistance for up to 12 months while they train for their new job.

Government’s $24.5-million investment over five years helps ensure all British Columbians have an opportunity to benefit from B.C.’s strong and growing economy and transition into the workforce with skills and training that align with today’s labour market demands, stated a Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation and Ministry of Children and Family Development press release.

This program change recognizes how challenging it can be as a single parent, especially when transitioning into the workforce, said Michelle Stilwell, Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation.

“Single parents on income assistance who are ready to find employment often face obstacles that most of us don’t experience: Paying for day care before your first paycheck arrives, buying supplies or a bus pass, even registration costs for school,” she said.

Under the new Single Parent Employment Initiative, more than 16,000 single parents on income and disability assistance will also have access to a range of supports that will help break down the barriers they often face when trying to find a full-time job, including:

* Tuition and education costs for approved training programs that last up to 12 months for in-demand jobs.

* Transportation costs to and from school.

* Full child-care costs during training.

Upon completion of their training, single parents who are eligible for a child-care subsidy will continue to have their full child-care costs covered for one year after they leave school and enter the workforce.

They will also retain their health supplement coverage for a year after they leave income assistance. This includes dental, optical and premium-free Ministry of Health MSP and Pharmacare programs.

“We don’t all start from the same place in life. Sometimes people need a little extra support. The wrap around supports we are making available will help parents on income assistance overcome many of the barriers that can hold them back as they move towards independence,” stated Stephanie Cadieux, Minister of Children and Family Development.

“The Skills for Jobs Blueprint is changing the way we think about skills training and ensuring that British Columbians are first in line for jobs in our province. That is why we’re providing single parents the opportunity to access training programs with the necessary supports in place. Our greatest competitive advantage is a highly skilled workforce and with the Blueprint and programs like this we can meet the labour demands of our diverse and growing economy,” said Janet Austin, CEO, YWCA Metro Vancouver .

“YWCA Metro Vancouver provides a range of holistic services to help single mothers achieve economic independence, and helping women to find meaningful employment is a critical part of our mission. Opportunities for paid training, along with the additional supports, such as child care and transportation, remove many of the common barriers faced by single mothers who are trying to develop skills and find sustainable employment,” declared Emi Yumura, single mother living in Surrey.

“These new supports are a gateway to a brighter future, and will undoubtedly be welcome relief to all the single parents who are trying to create better lives for themselves and their families,” she said.

“When I was in school I wanted to concentrate on my studies, but spent more time worrying about bills, child care and additional costs of getting an education. Getting transportation and medical costs covered, along with child care, will help so many single parents build the future they deserve and dream of,” noted Norma Strachan, CEO, Association of Service Providers for Employability and Career Training (ASPECT), adding, “Members of ASPECT deliver career training programs that help people pursue new opportunities in life. From tuition costs to child care, the comprehensive package of supports the Province introduced today will help break down the barriers that can get in the way of a single parent when they want to leave income assistance. The province has made significant investments into skills training over the last few years. This will help widen the circle of opportunity by giving single parents on income assistance the supports they need to be successful and secure employment.”

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour pointed out, “Poverty – in and of itself – is limiting. It limits choice. It limits opportunities. That’s why income assistance is by design short-term help. For many single parents though, finding that family supporting job first requires the ability to access training. We are making changes that will enable that to happen,” said

The Single Parent Employment Initiative, which will launch in September, supports B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint, which is re-engineering the province’s education and training systems to ensure students have a full range of training options.

The government has doubled earning exemptions from $200 to $400 per month for all families with children, and increased them from $300 to $500 per month for families who have a child with disabilities.

Currently, there are 16,000 single parent families with 26,000 children that are on income and disability assistance in B.C.

For people just on income assistance, when you include children, single parent families represent 44% of all recipients.

On average, 90% of single parents on income and disability assistance are female and dhildren who grow up in an income assistance family are at greater risk of living in low income. Research suggests they may be three or more times more likely to become dependent on income assistance as an adult, compared to children with no or limited exposure to income assistance, the provincial government reported.

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