Income and Employment Supports Act, Schedule, section 10
Income Support, Training and Health Benefits Regulation, Schedule 4, section 8
Ministerial Order 2018-19, Appendix D: Schedule 4 - Supplementary Income Support Rates

INTENT

To provide additional assistance to support households with specific shelter requirements.

POLICY

The additional shelter allowance is available to assist households who are unable to sustain their current accommodation with the maximum core shelter payment and are unable to move to other accommodations due to one of the situations outlined below.

The allowance is available to a household unit as long as all the conditions are met and other resources are not available.

When determining initial eligibility for Additional Shelter requests, the following criteria must be met:

1. The household must be in one of the following situations:
   • New recipients of the Income Support program or previous recipients who have had their file recently reopened (within two months), or
   • Households receiving ongoing Income Support must have experienced a change in circumstances that has an impact on the ability of the household unit to afford their current accommodation (such as an increase in rent or reduction in income); and
2. The household must also meet the requirements for one of the following situations:
   • Large Family
     • Where the household unit has six or more persons and suitable accommodation cannot be obtained with the applicable core shelter allowance, to be reviewed annually.
   • Adapted Accommodation
     • Where a person in the household unit is disabled, the accommodation has been physically adapted for that person’s particular disability and the applicable core shelter allowance is insufficient, to be reviewed annually.
   • Endangered Health
     • Where the health of a member of the household unit would be endangered by a move to a more affordable accommodation.
     • As per Ministerial Order 2018-19, the allowance is provided for a three-month period and can be renewed for subsequent three-month periods if the condition continues to exist.

     Note
     For Endangered Health, a written medical opinion is not required to be provided for each three-month review, but it must be provided, at minimum, every 12 months to reconfirm eligibility for the additional shelter allowance. See Review of Continued Eligibility for the Additional Shelter Allowance section below for details.

Households living in social housing or accessing supportive housing programs are not eligible for an additional shelter allowance.

An additional shelter allowance may be provided under only one situation at any given time: large family, adapted accommodation, or endangered health. If multiple situations apply, select the situation that has the most significant impact on the household’s need for an additional shelter allowance.

Households who have been receiving an additional shelter allowance must be given one month’s notice before the allowance is discontinued/stopped to allow them to make other shelter arrangements. In these cases, the worker must provide the client with verbal notification of the decision to discontinue/stop providing the allowance, including clearly specifying the reason(s) for the decision and providing appeal information, in accordance with the Denying or Terminating Benefits policy.

Periodic reviews of continued eligibility are conducted to ensure the household continues to meet the requirements for large family, needing an adapted accommodation, or health endangered by a move.

Note
The allowance is available to a household unit living with a relative if all the eligibility requirements are met.

 

Substantiation

Initial Eligibility for the Additional Shelter Allowance

When determining initial eligibility for the additional shelter allowance, substantiation is required to verify the change in circumstances that is prompting the need for an additional shelter allowance, and that the household unit falls into one of the regulated household situations.

1. The worker requests substantiation to help determine if the household meets the change in circumstances requirement.
   
   The change in circumstances must contribute to the household's inability to afford their current accommodation.  This may include, but is not limited to, circumstances such as:
   
   • A new recipient of Income Support or recently reopened file (within two months);
   • A change in household circumstance or composition;
   • An increase in rent; or
   • The loss of employment or other incomes.

    

2. In addition to substantiation for the change in circumstances, substantiation is required for one of the following situations to determine eligibility:
   1. For Large Families
      • The worker’s knowledge of the household unit’s size, and
      • Verification that a suitable accommodation cannot be obtained for the core shelter allowance. This can include the worker’s knowledge of available accommodations.
   2. For an Adapted Accommodation
      • Documentation confirming that the accommodation has been adapted for a household unit member’s particular disability, and
      • Verification that a suitable adapted accommodation cannot be obtained for the core shelter allowance. This can include the worker’s knowledge of available accommodations.
   3. For Endangered Health
      • A written opinion from a physician, psychologist or nurse practitioner stating:
        • The health of a member of the household unit would be endangered by a move;
        • How their health would be endangered or what aspects of the move would endanger their health; and
        • The anticipated length of time that the individual’s health would be endangered by a move.
          • Based on the aspects of the move that would endanger the health of the individual, any other potential supports to assist with the move should be considered before issuing the additional shelter allowance.

Note:
Typically, if a household unit was receiving an additional shelter allowance and moved, they would not be eligible for additional shelter for their new accommodation.

If a household unit was receiving an additional shelter allowance, moved and subsequently requests a new additional shelter allowance, a new initial eligibility decision is required and new substantiation should be requested for their new accommodation.

The worker requests the following:

• Clarification of the reason for the move and relevant changes to the situation of the recipient since the move;
• Any change in circumstance since the move; and
• How the client's health has changed since the move, the size of the household unit, or that the accommodation has been adapted to accommodate the disability of a member of the household unit.

Review of Continued Eligibility for the Additional Shelter Allowance

Change in circumstances is not considered when determining continued eligibility for an additional shelter allowance.

When reviewing a file to confirm continued eligibility, the worker should request updated substantiation, as necessary, to confirm that the household continues to meet the requirements for one of the following situations:

1. For Large Families
   • If there have been no changes to the household composition, additional substantiation of household size is not required.
   • Verification that the household has not been able to obtain a suitable accommodation for the core shelter allowance. This can include the worker’s knowledge of available accommodations.
2. For Adapted Accommodation
   • If the address of the household unit has not changed, additional substantiation of the adapted accommodation is not required.
   • Verification that the household has not been able to obtain a suitable adapted accommodation for the core shelter allowance. This can include the worker’s knowledge of available accommodations.
3. For Endangered Health
   • If health would be endangered by a move, a new written opinion is required from the physician, psychologist or nurse practitioner stating:
     • That the health of a member of the household unit would be endangered by a move;
     • How their health would be endangered or what aspects of the move would endanger their health; and
     • The anticipated length of time that the individual’s health would be endangered as a result of a move.
   • A new written opinion is not required as part of the three-month review if the opinion on file indicates that the condition will continues to exist at the time of the review.
     • For example, if the written opinion on file states that the client’s health will be endangered by a move for at least 9 months, a new written opinion is not required at the three- and six-month reviews.
     • A new written opinion is required at least once per 12 months. This means if the previous written opinion is 12 months old, a new written opinion is required.

Rate
Actual up to $340.00 per month

Need Code
1109 Additional Shelter