People with mental health problems often lose their income during long periods of illness and repeat visits to hospitals or treatment centres. They may have trouble paying rent and may eventually be evicted. With no place to go, these individuals sometimes find themselves homeless. Without a fixed address, they are often cut off from the access to key services such as health care. And without effective medications and treatments that can help them, their symptoms can quickly worsen.
Helpful Resources
Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) provides financial and health benefits for adult Albertans with a permanent disability that severely impairs their ability to earn a living. Approximately 32 per cent of Albertans who receive AISH have a mental illness.
If an individual is not receiving financial support through the AISH program they can also apply for Income Support through Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry.Income Support provides financial benefits to individuals and families who do not have the resources to meet their basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter.
People in three general situations may quality 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 (Not Expected to Work); and 2) People who are looking for work or unable to work in the short-term (Expected to Work); and 3) People who need academic upgrading or training so they can get a job (Learners). People who are eligible for Income Support also receive:
- Health benefits for themselves and their dependents
- Information and training to find a job
- Help to obtain child support payments
Other resources other than AISH include DRES (Disability Related Employment Supports), PDD (Persons with Developmental Disabilities), AADL (Alberta Aids to Daily Living) and the Alberta Brain Injury Initiative.
More information about these programs can be found in the Provincial Government’s Guide to Services for Lower-Income Albertans.