Star Is Trying to move back

[Star Wonder]

Living back at home is such a living hell, every day is nothing but panic attacks and tears...

I am going to apply for Disability since I have been diagnosed with a crippling disease, and I have mental instabilities which should warrant me disability anyway.

But since I don't know what I'd get monthly, I can't say what I can afford for rent or not. I have my Rats, and Birds, and my cat, and I want to move in with someone I know and am comfortable around. I can't move in with strangers or people I barely know, I've gone through that and never will again.

And getting on welfare/disability is not only difficult, it can take a few months just to get my first cheque. And I'm not sure if they'd do direct deposit or not.

I wouldn't mind moving in with Giz and the new fur house but again, I wouldn't know when I could move or how much I could pay as of yet.

I will be looking for a place, and try and keep people updated.

(I'm also looking for a new home for Haku, my cockatiel. I can't handle him anymore. His own disability conflicts with mine and I need to get him a new home that can withstand him and understand him.)

[Vanilla Skunk]

Income assistance does use direct deposit, after they have mailed your first cheque.  They do it this way to confirm that you are actually able to receive mail at the address you have provided to them.

They also have a system where your rent goes to your landlord instead of you, but I'm not sure if that is just a disability thing, or if it works on other income assistance systems as well.

[Star Wonder]

Disability, at least for me, is suppose to be for life so I would think they would do that maybe. Lol I will find out.

Income assistance does use direct deposit, after they have mailed your first cheque.  They do it this way to confirm that you are actually able to receive mail at the address you have provided to them.

They also have a system where your rent goes to your landlord instead of you, but I'm not sure if that is just a disability thing, or if it works on other income assistance systems as well.

[Masozi]

I live in a building that has several persons with disabilities so I know a bit about the rates etc. that they receive.

1.)  The disability benefits for a single person ( from a couple of my neighbors )  is $906.00 per month.   ( BC Govt. website confirms, shelter portion is $375.00, support portion is $531.00.)

2.) Disability recipients have a direct deposit option available, (once they confirm your address.) As well as a direct payment to landlords option (which is preferred) wherever you are renting.

3.) Disability recipients are also eligible, (in most cases) for a year long bus pass that only costs 45 dollars. 

4.) Some recipients are, (from what the manager has told me) eligible for an extra BC housing subsidy on top of their benefits. While many places offer subsidies for low income persons, those subsides disappear once the person moves out of that residence. The BC housing subsidy follows the recipient wherever they move and from what I understand the BC housing grant is for life if the person is on disability.  I have also heard its not easy to get but of course each case is different. 

Hopefully you will be able to find a way out of your current situation.

[velvetkytten]

I am on Disability. It took me two years of fighting to get approved. I had to use a advocacy group to finally get the paper work done so the government couldn't turn me away again. I highly recommend going to a advocacy group like Newton Advocacy. But they are in newton. I don't know where you live currently so i don't know if there is a group closer to you.

You have to have no more then two doctors to fill out the long application forms. But like I said go to a advocacy group before putting any pen to the forms.

Newton Advocacy # is 604-596-2311. They might be able to figure out if there is a group like them closer to you. You have to make a appointment to see some one as well.

The bus pass is awesome. 45 bucks a year but you have to apply for it through the ministry which means you will have to go to one of their offices AFTER you are approved for disability. You can claim the 45 bucks on your taxes as well to get it back. You can also get year passes to your area's rec centers so you can get in the pools, exersize rooms and get 75 % off programs through those centers as well. But you will have to pay for the id card (about 13 bucks a year)

Trust me when I say this. DO NOT ATTEMPT to fill in the applications alone. you WILL be denied. They will also demand for you to apply for CPP through the EI services as well. It is mandatory.

This whole process can be HELL. so always make sure you have emotional support when doing all this. If you get on disability they will do a finical check every two years so make sure you keep all your bank statements and all rent, hydro and phone records.

If you get on disability you will also have the right to earn up to 500 bucks a month that you will HAVE TO report and they wont touch it but I warn you, if you do earn money they will question your claim on being disabled.

you can earn an extra 100 bucks a month if you volunteer for a certain amount of hours at your local food bank.

if your disability requires a can or a mobile device like a scooter you can get them to pay for it but once again you will have to fight. They really don't like giving money away.
If you have a disability that requires a food supplemental you can get an extra 40 bucks a month as well.

if you have any questions feel free to ask me ANYTHING. It is such a crap system to get into.

[velvetkytten]

oh and another important note: if you are living with anyone else who is on welfare, that house hold will not be able to have anyone else on welfare. there is a law were only two people on welfare can reside in the same home. So if you move into a place where there is already two ppl in the system you will get in serious shit.

They make it extreamly hard for people on welfare to live. Its like they just want to give us enough to "survive".

[Sevrin]

that's the point velvet, they can't afford to give you enough to own a car and do fine dining and all that stuff, they give you enough to survive.

[Star Wonder]

I am on Disability. It took me two years of fighting to get approved. I had to use a advocacy group to finally get the paper work done so the government couldn't turn me away again. I highly recommend going to a advocacy group like Newton Advocacy. But they are in newton. I don't know where you live currently so i don't know if there is a group closer to you.

You have to have no more then two doctors to fill out the long application forms. But like I said go to a advocacy group before putting any pen to the forms.

Newton Advocacy # is 604-596-2311. They might be able to figure out if there is a group like them closer to you. You have to make a appointment to see some one as well.

The bus pass is awesome. 45 bucks a year but you have to apply for it through the ministry which means you will have to go to one of their offices AFTER you are approved for disability. You can claim the 45 bucks on your taxes as well to get it back. You can also get year passes to your area's rec centers so you can get in the pools, exersize rooms and get 75 % off programs through those centers as well. But you will have to pay for the id card (about 13 bucks a year)

Trust me when I say this. DO NOT ATTEMPT to fill in the applications alone. you WILL be denied. They will also demand for you to apply for CPP through the EI services as well. It is mandatory.

This whole process can be HELL. so always make sure you have emotional support when doing all this. If you get on disability they will do a finical check every two years so make sure you keep all your bank statements and all rent, hydro and phone records.

If you get on disability you will also have the right to earn up to 500 bucks a month that you will HAVE TO report and they wont touch it but I warn you, if you do earn money they will question your claim on being disabled.

you can earn an extra 100 bucks a month if you volunteer for a certain amount of hours at your local food bank.

if your disability requires a can or a mobile device like a scooter you can get them to pay for it but once again you will have to fight. They really don't like giving money away.
If you have a disability that requires a food supplemental you can get an extra 40 bucks a month as well.

if you have any questions feel free to ask me ANYTHING. It is such a crap system to get into.

There is no one living in this house on any sort of welfare. And I am getting Abbotsford Advocacy to fill it out for me. The lady on the phone said I only need one doctor, she asked if I had a doctor and if he approved my appliance. That was about all she asked about docs.

And the only money I earn is from drawing. Commissions. And from making t-shirts (hand painted) and tails and stuff like that. That stuff I usually keep in my pay pal, not in my bank, but sometimes when I transfer it over, it goes right to my credit card, or to pay off my motorbike payments.

I got my tax returns so I'm living off that for now.

[velvetkytten]

all I have to say to you now is Good Luck. You will still need it.

[velvetkytten]

that's the point velvet, they can't afford to give you enough to own a car and do fine dining and all that stuff, they give you enough to survive.

It is barely enough to survive. if it wasn't for my dad I would be starving since I cant eat 90 % of what the food bank has since I have crohn's disease. It is NOT easy at ALL.

[gruntmaster700]

I am on Disability. It took me two years of fighting to get approved. I had to use a advocacy group to finally get the paper work done so the government couldn't turn me away again. I highly recommend going to a advocacy group like Newton Advocacy. But they are in newton. ...

Is that the Newton area in Surrey, BC?

Star's bcfurries page says "Location: Surrey BC Canada", so  Newton Advocacy should be close enough  
and if not nearby (since Surrey is so large) maybe they can recommend an advocate that is even closer.

IF Star is no longer in Surrey, but is in (or near) Vancouver: MPA in Kitsilano had an advocate (or advocates) for helping people get on disability http://www.mpa-society.org/ . I assume they still offer that service since their website says they offer "Advocacy and social justice" service.

[Star Wonder]

Is that the Newton area in Surrey, BC?

Star's bcfurries page says "Location: Surrey BC Canada", so  Newton Advocacy should be close enough  
and if not nearby (since Surrey is so large) maybe they can recommend an advocate that is even closer.

IF Star is no longer in Surrey, but is in (or near) Vancouver: MPA in Kitsilano had an advocate (or advocates) for helping people get on disability http://www.mpa-society.org/ . I assume they still offer that service since their website says they offer "Advocacy and social justice" service.

I'm in ABBOTSFORD... Hence why it says I'm trying to move back to surrey.

[Mikau Seafox]

Being on a Disability pension myself, it takes approximately three months before you start getting the full benefits; until then you start with smaller portions of the cheques on a monthly basis. That's what I can recall correctly, anyway.

Having a PWD benefit cheque monthly is a good way to stay financially stable (mostly, anyway), and it at least helps out until one has a job. But it's really tough to find one in BC these days, so there isn't much of an option, other than to buckle down and keep trying to find one. It's why I've been unemployed for over a year. x.x When (or rather, if) you get a job, you're entitled to make an additional $500 monthly for Employee Income; beyond that, they will cut portions of your cheque, cent by cent. Pretty much what I know so far.

Hope your return will be safe!

[Star Wonder]

Being on a Disability pension myself, it takes approximately three months before you start getting the full benefits; until then you start with smaller portions of the cheques on a monthly basis. That's what I can recall correctly, anyway.

Having a PWD benefit cheque monthly is a good way to stay financially stable (mostly, anyway), and it at least helps out until one has a job. But it's really tough to find one in BC these days, so there isn't much of an option, other than to buckle down and keep trying to find one. It's why I've been unemployed for over a year. x.x When (or rather, if) you get a job, you're entitled to make an additional $500 monthly for Employee Income; beyond that, they will cut portions of your cheque, cent by cent. Pretty much what I know so far.

Hope your return will be safe!

I can't get a job Mikau, that's the problem.

[Mayhem]

it is VERY important you find people who know the system. I am fucking assed lucky i got myself into a semi-independant living program. they take my $375 rent portion and cover the rest for suites up to 650-700, as well as being in the system so i can acess a shrink and social workers and the like. Catches are i get visits from workers 2-3 times a week making sure i keep my house clean ( very hard to do with all my art and craft supplies...i kinda frustrate them. i can only do so much in a 1br basement) and i cannot have roomates as its to teach me to live independantly.

some other things i had no idea i was elligable for:

it's under rehab for drugs, but i can get it too, leisure funds. They give you up to 200-250 a year to fund leisure activities, there are strict guidelines, and you are expected to pay a portion of the activity, but i get art supplies. yah art supplies. i'd assume craft supplies like fur counts too.

food banks aren't so bad. cobs gives all thier day old breads to there and yeah good stuff.

Theres a store by gateway station that im elligable for, but haven't looked into yet, that sells real cheap food. like close to expiry, dinged cans, ect.