{
  "id": "income-assistance",
  "category": "Work and income",
  "title": "Households on income or disability assistance, Capital Region",
  "geography": "Capital Regional District (census division 17): the 9 municipalities the Province lists (Central Saanich, Colwood, Esquimalt, Langford, Saanich, Saltspring Island, Sooke, Victoria, View Royal)",
  "scope": "region",
  "levels": [
    "Province of B.C. (assistance rates and eligibility)",
    "Market and economy-wide factors"
  ],
  "plain_question": "How many households receive provincial income or disability assistance?",
  "value": 14896,
  "display_value": "14,896",
  "unit": "cases (households) a month, 12-month average",
  "period": "12 months to July 2026",
  "period_start": "2025-08-01",
  "period_end": "2026-07-28",
  "comparison": {
    "previous_period": "12 months to July 2025",
    "previous_value": 14324,
    "change_percent": 4.0
  },
  "trend": "context",
  "trend_basis": "Average of the latest 12 months: 14,896 cases, against 14,324 for the 12 months before. July 2026: 15,198 (14,759 a year earlier).",
  "direction_good": "down",
  "right_direction": "Shown for context. More cases can mean more need, or wider eligibility or higher take-up, so no direction is labelled better or worse.",
  "since_text": "July 2026: 15,198 cases (14,759 in July 2025; 11,407 in July 2019).",
  "caveats": [
    "The Province’s definition of a case: “Reconciled British Columbia Employment and Assistance Program cases (i.e. family units) that are in pay (payment > $0.00) for a given benefit month”",
    "The file lists only the largest municipalities in B.C. In the Capital Region it lists 9: Central Saanich, Colwood, Esquimalt, Langford, Saanich, Saltspring Island, Sooke, Victoria, View Royal. Others (for example Oak Bay, North Saanich and Sidney) are not in the file, so the total is lower than the whole region.",
    "Cases include both income assistance and disability assistance, as the Province counts them.",
    "The headline averages the latest 12 months (brief rule C3). The latest month is shown as a line."
  ],
  "charts": [
    {
      "title": "Assistance cases a month, Capital Region (listed municipalities)",
      "fmt": "int",
      "unit": "cases",
      "lines": [
        {
          "name": "Total of listed municipalities",
          "area": "crd",
          "series": [
            {
              "period": "2021-07",
              "value": 12108
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-08",
              "value": 12086
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-09",
              "value": 12016
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-10",
              "value": 11990
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-11",
              "value": 12131
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-12",
              "value": 12270
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-01",
              "value": 12300
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-02",
              "value": 12299
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-03",
              "value": 12655
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-04",
              "value": 12696
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-05",
              "value": 12682
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-06",
              "value": 12720
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-07",
              "value": 12729
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-08",
              "value": 12728
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-09",
              "value": 12711
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-10",
              "value": 12713
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-11",
              "value": 12667
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-12",
              "value": 12649
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-01",
              "value": 12634
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-02",
              "value": 12689
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-03",
              "value": 13116
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-04",
              "value": 13144
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-05",
              "value": 13163
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-06",
              "value": 13215
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-07",
              "value": 13219
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-08",
              "value": 13281
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-09",
              "value": 13293
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-10",
              "value": 13222
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-11",
              "value": 13272
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-12",
              "value": 13255
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-01",
              "value": 13260
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-02",
              "value": 13362
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-03",
              "value": 13800
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-04",
              "value": 13908
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-05",
              "value": 13957
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-06",
              "value": 13997
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-07",
              "value": 14008
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-08",
              "value": 14023
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-09",
              "value": 14004
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-10",
              "value": 13973
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-11",
              "value": 14169
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-12",
              "value": 14036
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-01",
              "value": 14075
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-02",
              "value": 14155
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-03",
              "value": 14573
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-04",
              "value": 14628
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-05",
              "value": 14725
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-06",
              "value": 14762
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-07",
              "value": 14759
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-08",
              "value": 14711
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-09",
              "value": 14663
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-10",
              "value": 14766
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-11",
              "value": 14698
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-12",
              "value": 14685
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-01",
              "value": 14646
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-02",
              "value": 14696
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-03",
              "value": 15080
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-04",
              "value": 15163
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-05",
              "value": 15212
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-06",
              "value": 15230
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-07",
              "value": 15198
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "name": "City of Victoria",
          "area": "city",
          "series": [
            {
              "period": "2021-07",
              "value": 5293
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-08",
              "value": 5259
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-09",
              "value": 5263
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-10",
              "value": 5252
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-11",
              "value": 5296
            },
            {
              "period": "2021-12",
              "value": 5381
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-01",
              "value": 5395
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-02",
              "value": 5371
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-03",
              "value": 5490
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-04",
              "value": 5498
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-05",
              "value": 5503
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-06",
              "value": 5548
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-07",
              "value": 5572
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-08",
              "value": 5576
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-09",
              "value": 5582
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-10",
              "value": 5583
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-11",
              "value": 5545
            },
            {
              "period": "2022-12",
              "value": 5531
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-01",
              "value": 5528
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-02",
              "value": 5557
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-03",
              "value": 5704
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-04",
              "value": 5702
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-05",
              "value": 5716
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-06",
              "value": 5756
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-07",
              "value": 5740
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-08",
              "value": 5796
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-09",
              "value": 5799
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-10",
              "value": 5751
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-11",
              "value": 5770
            },
            {
              "period": "2023-12",
              "value": 5776
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-01",
              "value": 5742
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-02",
              "value": 5767
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-03",
              "value": 5925
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-04",
              "value": 5964
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-05",
              "value": 5975
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-06",
              "value": 6004
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-07",
              "value": 6024
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-08",
              "value": 6033
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-09",
              "value": 6042
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-10",
              "value": 6024
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-11",
              "value": 6080
            },
            {
              "period": "2024-12",
              "value": 6035
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-01",
              "value": 6069
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-02",
              "value": 6103
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-03",
              "value": 6247
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-04",
              "value": 6254
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-05",
              "value": 6305
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-06",
              "value": 6316
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-07",
              "value": 6315
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-08",
              "value": 6270
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-09",
              "value": 6221
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-10",
              "value": 6267
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-11",
              "value": 6218
            },
            {
              "period": "2025-12",
              "value": 6251
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-01",
              "value": 6217
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-02",
              "value": 6204
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-03",
              "value": 6347
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-04",
              "value": 6384
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-05",
              "value": 6400
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-06",
              "value": 6407
            },
            {
              "period": "2026-07",
              "value": 6392
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "by_municipality": {
    "title": "Assistance cases by municipality, July of each year",
    "columns": [
      "Municipality",
      "July 2022",
      "July 2023",
      "July 2024",
      "July 2025",
      "July 2026"
    ],
    "rows": [
      [
        "Central Saanich",
        259,
        276,
        307,
        312,
        334
      ],
      [
        "Colwood",
        492,
        543,
        571,
        611,
        659
      ],
      [
        "Esquimalt",
        874,
        842,
        880,
        878,
        914
      ],
      [
        "Langford",
        1296,
        1375,
        1481,
        1620,
        1709
      ],
      [
        "Saanich",
        2975,
        3101,
        3301,
        3434,
        3513
      ],
      [
        "Saltspring Island",
        390,
        421,
        448,
        476,
        502
      ],
      [
        "Sooke",
        574,
        628,
        691,
        810,
        865
      ],
      [
        "Victoria",
        5572,
        5740,
        6024,
        6315,
        6392
      ],
      [
        "View Royal",
        297,
        293,
        305,
        303,
        310
      ],
      [
        "Total of listed municipalities",
        12729,
        13219,
        14008,
        14759,
        15198
      ]
    ],
    "note": "Municipalities as the Province lists them in census division 17. Cases are family units in pay that month."
  },
  "series": [
    {
      "period": "2021-07",
      "value": 12108
    },
    {
      "period": "2021-08",
      "value": 12086
    },
    {
      "period": "2021-09",
      "value": 12016
    },
    {
      "period": "2021-10",
      "value": 11990
    },
    {
      "period": "2021-11",
      "value": 12131
    },
    {
      "period": "2021-12",
      "value": 12270
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-01",
      "value": 12300
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-02",
      "value": 12299
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-03",
      "value": 12655
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-04",
      "value": 12696
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-05",
      "value": 12682
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-06",
      "value": 12720
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-07",
      "value": 12729
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-08",
      "value": 12728
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-09",
      "value": 12711
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-10",
      "value": 12713
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-11",
      "value": 12667
    },
    {
      "period": "2022-12",
      "value": 12649
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-01",
      "value": 12634
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-02",
      "value": 12689
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-03",
      "value": 13116
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-04",
      "value": 13144
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-05",
      "value": 13163
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-06",
      "value": 13215
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-07",
      "value": 13219
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-08",
      "value": 13281
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-09",
      "value": 13293
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-10",
      "value": 13222
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-11",
      "value": 13272
    },
    {
      "period": "2023-12",
      "value": 13255
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-01",
      "value": 13260
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-02",
      "value": 13362
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-03",
      "value": 13800
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-04",
      "value": 13908
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-05",
      "value": 13957
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-06",
      "value": 13997
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-07",
      "value": 14008
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-08",
      "value": 14023
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-09",
      "value": 14004
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-10",
      "value": 13973
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-11",
      "value": 14169
    },
    {
      "period": "2024-12",
      "value": 14036
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-01",
      "value": 14075
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-02",
      "value": 14155
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-03",
      "value": 14573
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-04",
      "value": 14628
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-05",
      "value": 14725
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-06",
      "value": 14762
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-07",
      "value": 14759
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-08",
      "value": 14711
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-09",
      "value": 14663
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-10",
      "value": 14766
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-11",
      "value": 14698
    },
    {
      "period": "2025-12",
      "value": 14685
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-01",
      "value": 14646
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-02",
      "value": 14696
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-03",
      "value": 15080
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-04",
      "value": 15163
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-05",
      "value": 15212
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-06",
      "value": 15230
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-07",
      "value": 15198
    }
  ],
  "derived_figures": [
    {
      "what": "July 2026 total",
      "formula": "sum of cases across the listed municipalities in census division 17",
      "inputs": {
        "Central Saanich": 334,
        "Saanich": 3513,
        "Saltspring Island": 502,
        "Victoria": 6392,
        "Esquimalt": 914,
        "Colwood": 659,
        "Langford": 1709,
        "View Royal": 310,
        "Sooke": 865
      },
      "result": 15198
    },
    {
      "what": "12-month average",
      "formula": "mean of the latest 12 monthly totals",
      "inputs": {
        "202508": 14711,
        "202509": 14663,
        "202510": 14766,
        "202511": 14698,
        "202512": 14685,
        "202601": 14646,
        "202602": 14696,
        "202603": 15080,
        "202604": 15163,
        "202605": 15212,
        "202606": 15230,
        "202607": 15198
      },
      "result": 14896
    },
    {
      "what": "12-month average a year earlier",
      "formula": "mean of the 12 monthly totals before those",
      "inputs": {
        "202408": 14023,
        "202409": 14004,
        "202410": 13973,
        "202411": 14169,
        "202412": 14036,
        "202501": 14075,
        "202502": 14155,
        "202503": 14573,
        "202504": 14628,
        "202505": 14725,
        "202506": 14762,
        "202507": 14759
      },
      "result": 14324
    },
    {
      "what": "12-month average five years earlier (brief v3.2 A4)",
      "formula": "mean of the 12 monthly totals of the listed municipalities",
      "inputs": {
        "2020-08": 11815,
        "2020-09": 11762,
        "2020-10": 11698,
        "2020-11": 11731,
        "2020-12": 11722,
        "2021-01": 11692,
        "2021-02": 11697,
        "2021-03": 12051,
        "2021-04": 12070,
        "2021-05": 12077,
        "2021-06": 12074,
        "2021-07": 12108
      },
      "result": 11875
    }
  ],
  "source": {
    "name": "Province of B.C., Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, BC Employment and Assistance Program by Municipality",
    "url": "https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/365f6171-e6e6-4fa2-bc41-c2f59a7ba052/resource/28ab1ed2-846c-4180-9130-5c62537756b8/download/bcea_top_municipalities.csv",
    "dataset_url": "https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/bc-employment-and-assistance-program-by-municipality",
    "download_url": "https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/365f6171-e6e6-4fa2-bc41-c2f59a7ba052/resource/28ab1ed2-846c-4180-9130-5c62537756b8/download/bcea_top_municipalities.csv",
    "locator": "bcea_top_municipalities.csv: cd = 17, column “cases”, ym = 202607, summed over 9 municipalities",
    "reads": "cd 17, ym 202607, cases: Central Saanich 334, Colwood 659, Esquimalt 914, Langford 1,709, Saanich 3,513, Saltspring Island 502, Sooke 865, Victoria 6,392, View Royal 310"
  },
  "licence": {
    "name": "Open Government Licence - British Columbia",
    "url": "https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content?id=A519A56BC2BF44E4A008B33FCF527F61"
  },
  "attribution": "Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - British Columbia.",
  "refresh_frequency": "Monthly (Province of B.C.)",
  "data_published": "2026-09-19",
  "retrieved_at": "2026-11-12T06:09:53Z",
  "five_compare": {
    "period": "12 months to July 2021",
    "value": 11875,
    "basis": "12-month average, same file"
  },
  "licence_type": "open",
  "source_tier": 1,
  "measure_kind": "context",
  "better_measure": null,
  "status_rule": {
    "rule": "One rule for every measure: a change smaller than 5% of the earlier value, or smaller than the agency's own margin of error, is “About the same”; no change is calculated across a marked break in a series; homelessness estimates, prices, staffing and comparison pages are shown for context without a label.",
    "reason": "Assistance cases rise with need, and also with eligibility rules and take-up, so the direction of change is not read as better or worse.",
    "threshold_percent": 5.0
  },
  "changes": {
    "year": {
      "period": "12 months to July 2025",
      "value": 14324,
      "text": "vs Jul 2025: +4.0%"
    },
    "five_year": {
      "period": "12 months to July 2021",
      "value": 11875,
      "comparable": true,
      "rel": 25.44,
      "text": "vs 12 months to July 2021: +25.4%"
    }
  },
  "direction": {
    "type": "context",
    "rule": "Outcome measures read Better, Worse or About the same; published government targets read Ahead of, On or Behind target; value-judgement measures read Rising, Falling or Steady in a neutral colour. A change smaller than the agency's own margin of error, or otherwise smaller than 5% of the earlier value, is About the same (or Steady). No change is calculated across a marked break in a series.",
    "key": "steady",
    "label": "Steady this year. Rising over 5 years.",
    "arrow": "▲",
    "rel": 4.0,
    "delta": null,
    "vs": "12 months to July 2025",
    "cur": "12 months to July 2026",
    "why": "The change is 4.0% of the earlier value, below the 5% threshold. Over 5 years (since 12 months to July 2021) the change is 25.4% of the earlier value, at or above the 5% threshold, so the label also says Rising over 5 years.",
    "change": "4.0%",
    "one_year": "+4.0%",
    "five": {
      "period": "12 months to July 2021",
      "comparable": true,
      "rel": 25.44,
      "text": "+25.4%",
      "years": 5
    },
    "label_one_year": "Steady",
    "long_key": "rising",
    "long_label": "Rising over 5 years"
  },
  "decided_by": [
    {
      "body": "BC",
      "name": "Province of B.C.",
      "decides": "Provides income assistance and disability assistance, and sets who is eligible and how much, by law and regulation.",
      "laws": [
        {
          "key": "eaa4",
          "label": "Employment and Assistance Act, s. 4",
          "url": "https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/02040_01#section4"
        },
        {
          "key": "eapwda5",
          "label": "Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act, s. 5",
          "url": "https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/02041_01#section5"
        }
      ],
      "last": null,
      "next": null
    }
  ],
  "main_decision_maker": "Province of B.C."
}