Recent changes to social assistance programs in New Brunswick are being seen as a positive first step by at least one advocacy group.
But the New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice says it was hoping to see further progress to eliminate poverty in the province.
Provincial coordinator Abram Lutes said they were pleased to see the wage exemption for social assistance recipients raised to $500 plus 50 cents on each dollar over that.
Before now, the wage exemption for a single client was $150 a month plus 30 cents for each additional dollar, and $200 for households of two or more.
“This is something that we really focused on this year and we’re glad to see that the government has followed through with it,” Lutes said in a phone interview.
Officials said raising the wage exemption will support people to earn more income to provide for their needs.
The group also commended the government for introducing new exemptions in calculating eligibility for social assistance. Child support payments, the Canada-New Brunswick Housing Benefit, and compensation related to personal injury are no longer considered household income.
One thing the advocacy group wanted to see was the elimination of the household income policy, which adjusts the amount of social assistance a person receives if they are living with someone else.
Lutes said the policy disproportionately affects people with disabilities who are receiving social assistance payments.
“It forces people on social assistance to choose between either living with the people that they want to live with or their social assistance cheques,” he said.
Lutes hopes the policy will be considered by a newly-established provincial task force that will review disability support services and programs offered by Social Development, including income support.
The Common Front said it would also like to see government immediately raise the basic social assistance rates by 16.9 per cent for individuals and 8.77 per cent for families to account for the cost of living.