On-reserve Income Assistance program
This program helps eligible on-reserve residents and Status Indians in Yukon:
- cover daily living costs
- access pre-employment supports
End of Inflation relief benefit
Since April 2020, the On-Reserve Income Assistance Program has provided over $1.1 billion in financial support to help Income Assistance recipients and their families respond to the challenges presented by the pandemic and subsequent period of high inflation.
On April 1, 2024, this temporary funding relief measure ended.
The program continues to focus on finding lasting solutions for low-income persons on-reserve through ongoing, co-developed reform efforts with First Nations partners. Budget 2024 announced $927.3 million in investments for the program over five years starting in 2024-25, and $169 million ongoing. This will address the urgent and essential needs of Income Assistance clients struggling to make ends meet, continue case management and pre-employment supports, and provide additional funding to recipients with disabilities.
On this page
About the program
This program is a last resort for eligible individuals and their families. They must be:
- ordinarily resident on reserve
or - Status Indians who live in Yukon
Income assistance includes funds for:
- basic needs, such as:
- food
- clothing
- rent
- utilities allowance
- special needs, such as:
- essential household items
- personal incidentals
- doctor-recommended diets
- pre-employment and employment supports to help people become more self-sufficient, such as:
- life skills
- job training
If you have questions about this program, contact your regional office.
Recent budget investments in the program
Budget 2018 invested $86.9 million over 2 years to improve the Income Assistance Program, including $78.4 million over 2 years for case management services to help individuals transition from income assistance to employment and education.
As part of its Budget 2018 commitments, the Government of Canada supported a First Nations-led engagement process. The national summary report summarizing participants' comments, opinions, and recommendations made during engagement sessions on income assistance is now available.
Budget 2019 committed $39 million in 2020-2021 to keep giving case management and pre-employment supports to First Nation communities.
Budget 2021 proposes to invest $618.4 million over 2 years, while work continues, including:
- $540 million over 2 years, starting in 2021-22, to continue to address basic needs and increased program demand, including as a result of COVID-19.
- $78.4 million over 2 years, starting in 2021-22, to continue providing case management and support to help people find work.
Who can apply
Funding is provided to:
- First Nations communities
- organizations
- other service providers
When funded, they're responsible for providing this program to eligible individuals. The program is available on reserves in all provinces and Yukon, and delivered in accordance with the income assistance rates and eligibility criteria of the individuals' province of residence or Yukon.
To be eligible for income assistance, an individual must:
- be ordinarily resident on-reserve or Status Indians in Yukon
- be eligible for basic or special financial assistance
- show that you have no other source of funding to meet your basic needs
If you're eligible and apply for income assistance, you'll be assessed according to the criteria of your:
- province
or - Yukon
This assessment covers:
- financial need
- employability
- family composition and age
- available financial resources in the household
Learn more: eligibility requirements for individuals.
You can also contact:
- your community's band office
or - Yukon regional office
Who qualifies as ordinarily resident on-reserve?
Ordinarily resident on reserve means that an individual lives on-reserve and does not maintain a primary residence off reserve, but may be temporarily off reserve for the purpose of seeking education or obtaining care or services not available on reserve.
Deadline
There's no deadline for this program. You can apply at any time.
How to apply
The application process depends on where you reside. To learn more, contact:
- your community's band office
or - Yukon regional office
Program guidelines
To learn more about the program, refer to: Income Assistance National Program Guidelines 2019 to 2020.
Updated guidelines come into effect on April 1, 2022: