BC Gov News

Young adults between 19 and 26 (until their 27th birthday) are eligible for SAJE if:

• they reached their 19th birthday while on a Youth Agreement, a Continuing Custody Order or were under the personal guardianship of a director; or
• they achieved permanency between the ages of 12 and 19; or
• they have 24 months of cumulative time in care between the ages of 12 and 19, in a range of in- and out-of-care statuses; or
• they were in a comparable arrangement under Indigenous law.

For example:

• An 18-year-old who enters into a Youth Agreement with the ministry and turns 19 while on that agreement would be eligible for SAJE supports.
• A 16-year-old who comes into kinship care for any amount of time and is placed with their extended family via a permanent transfer of custody would be eligible for SAJE supports at age 19.
• A 22-year-old who spent 24 months or more in foster care between 12 and 19 would be eligible for SAJE supports.
• A 12-year-old who comes into care for 24 months and safely returns to their family at age 14 would be eligible for SAJE supports at age 19.
• A 20-year-old Indigenous young adult who lived with an aunty under Indigenous law for two years (from age 17 to 19) would be eligible for SAJE supports.

Prior to this change, young adults were eligible for youth transition supports only if they were between 19 and 26 years old, and on their 19th birthday were on a Youth Agreement, a Continuing Custody Order or were under the personal guardianship of a director.

First announced in Budget 2022, the Ministry of Children and Family Development has built a comprehensive suite of services and benefits to support youth and young adults from care.

Since 2022, the Province has introduced:

• Unconditional monthly income support
  • A monthly payment for as much as $1,250 per month for one year with no requirement to participate in programming helps young people with living expenses, such as groceries, phone and other bills, and rent, as they begin to live on their own.
  • Young adults may continue to receive income support from age 20 to 27 by participating in eligible programs.
• Rent supplement
  • $600 per month to help young adults afford rent for two years or until their 27th birthday.
  • Fifty per cent of rent supplements in each intake window are available for Indigenous young adults.
• No-limit earnings exemption
  • Young adults can earn an income, which does not affect the level of funding they receive through SAJE programming.
• Mental-health and counselling benefit
  • Young adults can access services to improve mental and emotional health, and well-being, including addressing experiences of trauma with funding as much as $1,500 per year.
• Life skills, training and cultural connections funding
  • Young adults are supported to build connections to their culture, develop new skills and pursue their goals with as much as $5,500 a year to a maximum of $11,000.
• Provincial tuition waiver program and future skills grant
  • All former youth in care, no matter their age, can access post-secondary education tuition free.
  • A grant for as much as $3,500 helps cover additional education expenses, such as textbooks and computers, for tuition waiver recipients.
• Enhanced dental and optical benefits
  • Dental coverage increased by $300 to $1,000 per calendar year and optical benefits expanded to include eye exams, in addition to glasses and contact lenses.
• Housing supports
  • Allows young adults to continue to stay in their homes past the age of 19 until 21st birthday (an extension of temporary housing supports introduced during COVID).
• SAJE navigators and guides
  • New workers support youth in care starting age 14 and guide them through accessing services until age 25.
• Duration extension for SAJE supports
  • Eligible youth from care can access supports and services offered through SAJE for 84 months or until their 27th birthday (formerly 48 months).
• Expanded SAJE eligibility
  • Young adults from all legal care statuses are eligible for SAJE supports, including youth with a permanent transfer of custody or those who are adopted between the ages of 12 and 19, or those who spent 24 months cumulative time in care between the ages of 12 and 19 or were in a comparable arrangement under Indigenous law.