Low-income Islanders will see comfort allowances increased June 1

Thousands of social assistant clients andsubsidized residents in community or long-term care on P.E.I. will see their monthly comfort allowancerise on June 1.

The personal comfort allowance was increased in the 2017-18 provincial budget released earlier this month.

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"The majority of our long-term care residents are subsidized, so this will have a broad impact for seniors across the province," Health and Wellness Minister Robert Henderson said in a statement.

$500Kincrease overall

The allowance rises from $120 a month to $140 a month for 700 social assistance clients and 550 subsidized residents in community care. For subsidized residents in long-term care, the allowance is increasing to $123 a month from $103 a month

Family and Human Services Minister Tina Mundy said in a statement that the government wants to ensure that low-income Islanders and seniors get help with their basic needs and items used for leisure orsocial purposes.

The total cost in the budget is half a million dollars: $300,000 for social assistance clients and subsidized residents in community care, $200,000 for residents in long-term care.