Rental supplement loss hits hard

As of July 1, 2018, the Saskatchewan Rental Housing Supplement (SRHS) will not take new applications.

The SRHS is a monthly payment that assists lowincome families and persons with disabilities with their rental costs. It provides benefits ranging from $186 to $256 for individuals and $184 to $305 for a family with two children. A single person receiving the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability will be left with only $459 for rent in Regina and as little as $326 in other areas. A family with two children is left with $711 for rent in Regina and as little as $429 elsewhere.

There were cuts to income assistance programs in the 2016 and 2017 budgets, but this is the deepest yet. It will take away about 30 per cent of rental allowance income: about $5 million from low-income households in Saskatchewan.

In recent months, many people with disabilities were cut off the supplement because it was suddenly decided that their accommodations did not meet their disability needs. They will soon be unable to reapply for the supplement.

The reasoning for this cut has been that vacancy rates have risen and rents will be more affordable. In reality, rents have not been going down. They would have to drop drastically to be affordable for people unable to access the supplement.

This was a cruel budget decision that weakens a woefully inadequate income assistance system.

Peter Gilmer, Regina