New Support Funding Takes Effect July 1

About 245,000 Nova Scotians will find it easier to make ends meet thanks to an $18 million increase in government support July 1.

"We made a commitment to do things differently and we are meeting that commitment by providing more financial support to low-income Nova Scotians to help them create a better life for them and their children," said Premier Darrell Dexter.

The new money represents some of the most significant investments in support to low-income Nova Scotians in a decade. The investment, introduced in the 2011-2012 budget, will help low-income Nova Scotians better provide for themselves and for their families.

"This new support sends a clear message to Nova Scotians that the government is committed to keeping its promise to make life better," said Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse. "Nova Scotians know best how to help themselves. That's why we're making it easier for them to keep money in their pockets and regain their independence."

The new supports include:

• a 22 per cent increase per child, per month to the Nova Scotia Child Benefit, the first increase in a decade. This increase will help more than 23,000 families provide healthier food and other support for their children
• a $15 per month increase in the Income Assistance personal allowance to help more than 31,000 adults better provide for themselves and their families
• indexing the Affordable Living Tax Credit and the Poverty Reduction Credit to keep up with inflation, which will help about 245,000 Nova Scotians pay for necessities like food and clothing
• adding 250 child care subsidies to help more families access affordable child care
• increasing foster care rates by more than 10 per cent, or about $50 per child, per month to help about 800 foster families provide homes for children in need
• allowing working Income Assistance clients to keep more money each month. They now keep 30 per cent of earnings. They will be able to keep the first $150 earned each month, plus 30 per cent of the remaining amount. Disabled Income Assistance recipients in supportive employment will keep the first $300, double the current rate, plus 30 per cent of the remaining earnings.

For a single parent with two kids receiving income assistance, these changes could add up to more than $420 extra per year for those not working, and almost $1,700 more a year for those on income assistance with a job.

These new initiatives are on top of improvements to the Employment Support and Income Assistance Program that came into effect in January that fully funded eye exams, changed the definition of common-law partner, doubled allowable asset levels, and made sure benefits are not reduced when adult children living at home pursue post-secondary education.

Additionally, the government recently announced a new pilot project to help HRM's homeless people make the move from shelters to long-term housing.

Since 2009, government has made other, significant efforts to help families, including increasing minimum wage, building more affordable housing and removing the provincial portion of the HST from children's shoes, clothing and diapers.

For more information, visit www.gov.ns.ca/coms.