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The Cheque Day Study community impact statement: perspectives on changing the timing and frequency of income assistance payments

BC Centre on Substance Use

2019-05-01

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The Cheque Day Study examined the impact of different payment schedules for people who use drugs on the spikes in drug use and associated harm that coincide with income assistance payments. The study measured the effects of varying the timing and frequency of payments for recipients' health and wellbeing over the course of the month. In communities with many income assistance recipients, cheque day plays a large part in the monthly routine for residents; social, health, and emergency service providers; businesses; and the community as a whole. Considering the number of people that could be affected by a change to the way income assistance is scheduled, we emphasize the value of experiential knowledge in planning good policy, program, or service changes. To highlight this experiential knowledge, we undertook a series of consultations with people and organizations that are affected by synchronized income assistance payments in British Columbia. We spoke with income assistance recipients, people who use drugs, health and social service providers, first responders, and policy makers. We compiled and analyzed their input into this community impact statement, which is intended to accompany the scientific results from the Cheque Day Study to inform solutions that could address challenges around the timing of income assistance payments, not only for people who use drugs, but for all people receiving income assistance and their communities at large.


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