Open Data

Income Support Caseload

Description

This Seniors, Community and Social Services (SCSS) dataset describes the monthly Income Support caseload in Alberta, including two client groups: those Expected to Work (ETW) and those who have Barriers to Full Employment (BFE).

Income Support provides financial benefits to individuals and families who do not have the resources to meet their basic needs, like food, clothing, and shelter. The caseload is defined as the number of households categorized as ETW or BFE during a specific reporting period. Most commonly, this is reported as the average volume for a specific period (e.g., annually).

 

The composition of the caseload is made up of single individuals, lone-parent families, couples with children and couples without children. In April 2018, a breakdown of the number of caseloads by SCSS Regions was added to provide greater context.

 

NOTE: (1) - Due to a change in how region information is tracked within source systems, updated region caseloads for Income Support cannot currently be reported beyond September 2023. An updated reporting solution is in development, and historical region caseloads will be included retroactively in a future update. Region caseloads for September 2023 are included in the visualization document for reference.

(2) - All regions report that the primary factor for reduced Income Support caseloads from April-2020 is due to Albertans accessing the federal government’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).

 

Updated

November 14, 2024

Tags
Social Assistance Welfare
Resources

Title and Dataset Information

Alternative Title

Income Support Assistance

Date Modified

2024-11-14

Update Frequency

Monthly

Publisher / Creator Information

Creator
Seniors, Community and Social Services
Publisher

Seniors, Community and Social Services

Subject Information

Topic
Economy and Finance Families and Children Government Health and Wellness Population and Demography Society and Communities
Start Date

2005-04-01

End Date

2024-09-30

Spatial Coverage

Alberta

Resource Dates

Date Created

2014-09-19

Date Added to catalogue

2015-05-13T19:27:29.651070

Date Issued

2014-09-19

Date Modified

2024-11-14

Audience information

Caregivers Consumers General Public Government Health Care Professionals Lower-income Earners Nonprofit/Voluntary Organizations Parents Persons with Disabilities Researchers Seniors

Language

English (Canadian)

Identifiers

Usage / Licence

Usage Considerations

Please Note: (1) - Due to a change in how region information is tracked within source systems, updated region caseloads for Income Support cannot currently be reported beyond September 2023. An updated reporting solution is in development, and historical region caseloads will be included retroactively in a future update. Region caseloads for September 2023 are included in the visualization document for reference.

(2) - All regions report that the primary factor for reduced Income Support caseloads from April 2020, is due to Albertans accessing the federal government’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).

 

(2) - Please note that as of April 7th 2021, the Northwest region collapsed into one Distinct Office code supporting the simplification of benefit administration and remote service delivery to allow for better cover off within the area offices. The Northwest area also reclaimed all BFE files being administered in Edmonton back to the local offices which would impact the caseload number for the affected office areas.

 

(3) - North Central Region collapsing into North East Region mean we no longer report North Central data due to the related caseload changes .’

 

Income Support provides financial benefits to individuals and families who do not have the resources to meet their basic needs. It is not possible to identify the percentage of people in Alberta on Income Support from the information provided. The data presents households receiving support payments for a specific month and presents the average monthly caseload from April 2005 to the present. A household could consist of one or more members and the composition of the caseload is made up of single individuals, lone-parent families, couples with children and couples without children. Income Support caseloads are most commonly reported as the average volume for a specific period of time.

 

Beginning April 2012, Income Support caseload data were extracted from the Strategic Information Environment (SIE). From October 2019, Income Support caseload data are extracted from the Enterprise Data Mart (EDM). The source system change from SIE to the EDM provides for enhanced internal data integration.

 

Data in SIE and the EDM are dynamic and subject to change as source information is updated. For Open Data, values are reported as ‘static’ in that, unlike dynamic data, values do not change historically. Income Support caseload data extracted and published to the Open Government Portal occurs two months following the reported month to ensure a more accurate and reliable number. IS Open Data reported in June, for example, will show values up to and including April. IS Open Data reported in July would show values up to and including May and so on.

 

Claimants eligible for receiving support over a period of months are counted in the totals for each month they receive Income Support. The monthly figures represent caseloads eligible for receiving Income Support payments during a particular month. The level of financial assistance varies depending on each individual's situation.

 

Cases that qualify for Income Support: (1) People who have difficulty working because of a chronic mental or physical health problem, or because of multiple barriers to employment. (2) People who are looking for work, working or unable to work in the short-term. (3) People who need upgrading or training so they can get a job. This dataset does not include Albertans who have been classified as Learners.

 

Income Support Delivery Services is divided into six primary service areas: South, Calgary, Central, Edmonton, North East, North West. Within these service areas, each oversees several offices.

 

Licence

Open Government Licence - Alberta

Contact

Contact Name

Seniors, Community and Social Services

Contact Email

SCSS.OpenData@gov.ab.ca