Apply for Social Assistance in Prince Edward Island by calling the screening line at 1-877-569-0546 to book an intake appointment — the documents to bring, how income is counted, and what the program covers.
Applies in: Prince Edward Island
Call the social assistance screening line toll-free at 1-877-569-0546. Social Assistance in Prince Edward Island helps pay for basic needs — food, clothing, and shelter — when you do not have enough money. Depending on your financial need, you may also receive payment for childcare, medicine, and other living essentials. There is no online form: the application starts with the phone call, which books you an intake appointment with a social supports coordinator. The program is run by the Department of Social Development and Seniors.
This guide covers process only. It gives no eligibility advice beyond what the province publishes, and it carries no dollar amounts, because the province's program page publishes none.
Social Assistance is for you if you are a Prince Edward Island resident age 18 years or older and your income cannot cover the basic costs of living. The province's page states the program that way, and the screening line is the place to start: call 1-877-569-0546.
Call the social assistance screening line toll-free at 1-877-569-0546. The application process starts when you call and are booked for an intake appointment. You will need to bring documents about yourself, your family, and your current financial situation to that appointment — the full list is in the section below.
At the first meeting, a social supports coordinator will:
Bring the following documents to support your application:
Other documents, as needed, may include medical information, proof of custody, income tax returns, and a CRA Notice of Assessment. You are required to report all income.
Both earned and unearned income are considered when your need for social assistance is assessed.
The amount of money you receive is assessed monthly and may increase or decrease according to your income, living situation, and the size of your family. You are responsible for providing your social support coordinator with current information about your needs and income, and for reporting any changes to your situation — for example, if your relationship status changes, you have more or fewer children in your care, or your employment or income changes.
When your need is assessed, you may be assessed as needing to meet basic needs, and you may qualify for assistance for other needs.
Basic needs include:
Other needs may include:
When your need is assessed, expenses for cable television, car and car insurance payments, and other personal debts are not considered.
When you receive Social Assistance, you are automatically enrolled in the Financial Assistance Drug Program and the Provincial Dental Care Program.
For more information, contact the Department of Social Development and Seniors, Jones Building, 2nd Floor, 11 Kent Street, P.O. Box 2000, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 7N8. Phone: 902-620-3777. Toll free: 1-877-569-0546. Email: DeptSDS@gov.pe.ca.
The province's Social Assistance program page does not publish any dollar amounts for the benefit, any income thresholds, or any payment dates. It also does not state how long the intake-to-decision process takes, or the details of the Financial Assistance Drug Program and the Provincial Dental Care Program beyond naming them. This guide carries no figures for those items because the opened page does not state them. Check the province's current program page, or call the screening line at 1-877-569-0546, before relying on any amount.
Call the social assistance screening line toll-free at 1-877-569-0546. That call starts the process: you are booked for an intake appointment, and at that first meeting a social supports coordinator reviews your situation, explains the program, completes the application with you, and asks you to sign the Applicant Declaration. There is no online application form for this program, so the phone call and the in-person intake appointment are the route.
The province lists identification for each adult family member, citizenship documents for each person born outside Canada, and direct deposit information for the primary applicant. Financial records matter most: bank statements for each adult with a bank account, pay stubs covering the previous 31 days for each employed adult, business financial records for each self-employed adult, a Record of Employment for each adult who recently stopped working, and proof of income for each adult family member. Also bring PEI resident confirmation for the household, utility bills, and proof of expenses for each adult paying expenses. Medical information, proof of custody, income tax returns, or a CRA Notice of Assessment may also be needed.
It depends on your situation. The amount is assessed monthly and may rise or fall with your income, your living situation, and the size of your family, and you have to report changes as they happen. The province's program page publishes no dollar amounts or income thresholds, so no figure appears in this guide. What the page does state is what the money covers: basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and utilities, plus other needs such as childcare, transportation, medications, hearing aids, eyeglasses, and a security deposit for rent or utilities.
Both earned and unearned income are considered. Earned income is money from working — wages or salary, self-employment, babysitting. Unearned income is money from other places, including the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security, Employment Insurance, Workers' Compensation, gifts, or gambling winnings. Four kinds of money are excluded and not counted: the Canada Child Benefit, child support paid through Maintenance Enforcement, payments for children in care, and HST and income tax refunds. You are required to report all income, counted or not.
It is a legal document and a required part of your application. The social supports coordinator explains it and answers your questions so you fully understand it before you sign, and by signing you agree to follow the rules of the Social Assistance program and to allow program staff to verify your information.
You are automatically enrolled in the Financial Assistance Drug Program and the Provincial Dental Care Program. The program page names both programs but publishes no details of what they cover, so check their own pages for that.