Income Support, Training and Health Benefits Regulation, Schedule 4, section 14(b)
Full Time Learners:  Schedules 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Advanced Education)
Full Time Learners:  Schedules 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Labour and Immigration)

INTENT

To assist learners escaping abuse to obtain accommodation.

POLICY

The Government of Alberta may pay the cost of a damage deposit necessary to obtain accommodation if:

• a household is establishing a new residence in order to escape an abusive situation, regardless of the abused household member’s relationship to the abuser, and

   

• requires a damage deposit to obtain rental accommodation

   

• it has not been provided previously for the same place/time through Income Support as Expected To Work (ETW)/Barriers to Full Employment (BFE).

The learner household may receive the benefit as long as their relocation occurs during their period of training (e.g., a learner may spend 30 days at a shelter and then three months with family or friends before securing their own accommodation).

Rate

• must not exceed the maximum applicable Core Shelter Benefit

PROCEDURE

Learners may request this benefit by submitting a Change in Circumstances form, and providing necessary documentation.

Substantiation

Evidence of abuse may include:

• service manager’s knowledge of learner’s situation, or
• evidence from a reliable source (e.g., police, doctor, nurse practitioner, or women’s shelter).

The amount of the damage deposit may be substantiated by:

• word of the learner, or
• lease agreement, or
• letter from landlord, caretaker, owner, or management company.

APPROVAL

Learner Benefit Coordinator, Learner Income Support Office (LISO)