Agreements with Young Adults

If you’ve been in foster care or had a Youth Agreement, you may qualify for the Agreements with a Young Adult (AYA) program to help cover the cost of things like housing, childcare, tuition and health care while you go to school or do job training, or attend rehabilitation, mental health, or life skills programs.

To apply for an agreement, you must be between 19 and 26 years old, and on your 19th birthday were in one of the following care arrangements:

  • received support services or financial assistance, or both, under section 12.2 of the Act,
  • was in the continuing custody of a director, or
  • was in the guardianship of a director of adoption or of a director under section 51 of the Infants Act.

If you believe you may be eligible for the program, please contact your local Ministry of Children and Family Development office.

You can reach your local Ministry of Children and Family Development office by calling 250-387-7027 or toll-free: 1-877-387-7027.

Or Apply Now

Money To Help

The AYA program provides up to a maximum of $1,250 per month to cover living expenses while you go to school, do job training, attend rehabilitation, mental health, or life skills programs.

These living expenses include things like food, and rent for you and your children if you have any. 

Education and skills training programs:  An AYA can support you while you attend school or job training.  Tuition and other expenses are generally covered by the Youth Education Assistance Fund (YEAF) or the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program.  If not, an AYA may help pay for your books, uniforms, and any other expenses required by the - program.

Find out about other financial aid options for education and training:

Rehabilitation programs: An AYA can support you while you attend a rehabilitation program such as a mental health, addictions or substance use program, or a cultural healing and wellness program. If you've completed a residential treatment program for alcohol and drug use and now require support to keep from relapsing, a post-treatment support program can be part of your plan. Your worker can help you create a strategy to achieve your goals.

Life skills programs: An AYA can support you while you take a self-directed or facilitated life skills program.  Life skills programs are meant to help you to gain skills and provide hands-on guidance in things like managing your money, time management, decision-making and problem solving so that you can achieve your goals.  A worker can help you to understand the life skills that you want to learn and to develop a plan.

Length of an Agreement

Through discussion with a worker, the length of your agreement will   be based on your needs and the program you are on. You can have more than one agreement, for a total of up to 84 months (7 years) of support.

For example, you could:

  • Attend a life-skills or rehabilitation program for six months with AYA support
  • Work for a year without an AYA
  • Then, go back to school and enter into another AYA

AYAs do not extend past the day of your 27th birthday.

Apply for an Agreement

Step 1: Four to six weeks before the program you're interested in begins, complete an application form (PDF). In the section "Program and Support Need" describe the program you'd like to take and what kind of financial assistance or other support you may need.

Step 2: Mail or drop off your application form:

Step 3: Within two weeks, a social worker will contact you to prepare a written plan together that explains your goals and the support you need to reach them.

Besides outlining what the provincial government or social worker will do to help you with your plan, this meeting will also outline what's expected of you. For example, you will need to complete one of the following requirements:

  • 60% course load in an educational or skills training program (40% if you have a permanent disability)
  • A minimum of 5 hours a week participation in a rehabilitation program (i.e. mental health or substance use program including cultural healing and wellness)
  • A minimum of 5 hours a week participation in an individualized or facilitated life skills program related to one or more of the following domains: education, health and wellness, financial literacy, social skills, employment, housing, and cultural learning and connection
  • Any combination of educational, skills training, life-skills and/or rehabilitation program time that equals at least 5 hours a week

We know that sometimes there may be life circumstances in which you are not able to meet the minimum requirements for example, the course load requirement can be too challenging. If young adults need additional flexibility, the ministry or Indigenous Child and Family Services Agencies (ICFSA) are ready to help.