Search Results for: momentum

Alberta Success Story: RESPs, Social Housing & Assets Limits

Blog Posts

It was back in March of 2014 when we realized that families were having to make a tough choice between getting into social housing or keeping their family RESP account open. A Momentum staff member was doing a routine follow-up call with a participant named Crystal* who told Momentum that her Calgary Housing Company (CHC) caseworker said that she’d have to liquidate her family RESP if she wanted to be eligible for subsidized housing. This was a shock to the Momentum staff and after some research it was confirmed that the Alberta Housing Act stated that there was a $7,000 asset limit to get into any social housing programs in Alberta, and that this asset limit included RESPs.

This news spurred Momentum’s Public Policy into action leading to many meetings and phone calls with provincial government officials, including Lori Sigurdson, Minister of Seniors and Housing. By 2015, there was a small victory when the Alberta Housing Act was changed so that only contributions made by the family would be counted toward the asset limit and any government contributions in the accounts would not be counted toward the limits. Fast forward 9 months later and the Act was changed again to completely remove RESPs & RDSPs from the asset limit. This was a huge win for all families accessing social housing across Alberta.

Now we need to work closely with social housing organizations to make sure that all staff are aware of these changes. We also need to let the families who liquidated their RESPs know that they can re-open their RESP accounts and re-apply for the Canada Learning Bond (CLB). It’s important for those families to know that they can reapply for the CLB and get back all of the government money that they returned.

Momentum would like to acknowledge all of the people who worked hard over the past two years to make this change happen. Without everyone’s effort we couldn’t have made this important change in legislation.

By Olivia Tarasewicz, Financial Literacy Facilitator

StartSmart Program, Momentum

*name changed for privacy reasons

**This post was originally posted on our blog April 14, 2016.

Incorporate the Canada Learning Bond Into Your Website For Great Results!

Blog Posts

To simplify access to our online RESP starter and Canada Learning Bond (CLB) application, a number of our partners have created their own CLB web pages and are embedding the application directly into their own websites. Embedding the application on your website not only cuts down on the number of steps a family must take to access the application, but also allows them to complete the process without leaving your website. It’s a great way to capitalize on the web traffic your organization’s website already receives and offers one more tool to encourage people to visit your website.

Partners who have launched their own CLB webpage have seen up to a threefold increase in the number of parents who are completing applications compared to sending them to SmartSAVER.org directly. The key to this success is trust! Families already access your website for trusted information. By placing information about the CLB with a link to the application on your website, you show the families who trust you that you trust SmartSAVER. When your custom web page indicates that RESPs and the CLB can be accessed for free through the online application, parents will believe it.

Check out these great examples!

  1. Toronto District School Board (TDSB) RESP and CLB web page

The TDSB used our template to create their own RESP and CLB webpage. Accessed through their own website at www.tdsb.on.ca/SmartSAVER , this provides TDSB parents with a warm introduction to the application process along with the most important information they need to get started. When visitors click the green ‘Start My FREE RESP’ button, a unique URL tracks the completed applications sent from their page.  

Our webpage template is available in PSD format. You can adapt it to your organization’s web layout, colours and add details relevant to your campaign or audience.

TDSB SmartSAVER campaign

2. Momentum Embeds SmartSAVER’s Application

Momentum Calgary used SmartSAVER’s simple iFrame code to embed the CLB application directly into their own website www.momentum.org/startsmart . This allows visitors to complete the application without ever leaving Momentum’s website.

Request SmartSAVER’s iFrame code for your organization! Applications generated by your organization can be tracked using a unique URL.

momentum screen shot

3. CLB Promoter Buttons

Not ready to create a CLB page? Add one of our promotional buttons to your organization’s homepage. This will help ensure the visitors to your site are encouraged to learn more about RESPs and apply for the CLB. The buttons are available in different sizes. Request one from SmartSAVER today.

advocate web button 1 advocate web button 2

Here are some more examples of unique CLB webpages!

By Joe March.

,
1 … 7 8 9 10 11