Term: Receipt of Income Assistance

Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2020-07-30

Definition:

Income assistance (IA) is a program of financial assistance for people who need help to meet basic personal and family needs. As such, it is a measure of poverty or economic instability. IA involves monetary support allocated by the provincial government to individuals and/or their dependents who meet a standard financial need test that qualifies them for benefits. It is administered via the Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) program.

As an indicator, it is used to measure the percent of people who receive Income Assistance (IA) at some point in time. This indicator does not include Federal income assistance received by First Nations people living on reserve.

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