Applications for welfare assistance more than doubled in April |13 May 2020

The number of applications for welfare assistance received by the Agency for Social Protection (ASP) more than doubled in April due to the impacts of COVID-19.

The agency recorded a total of 2748 applications in April out of which the majority, 2111, was for unemployment benefits. Seventy nine applications were for medical benefits, 534 for supplementary assistance and 24 for one-off assistance.

With 1950 approved applications (291 rejected and 507 still processing), ASP paid out a sum of R7.5 million in April.

Comparatively in March, ASP received a total of 780 applications which comprised 416 applications for unemployment benefits, 61 for medical benefits, 282 for supplementary benefits and 21 applications for one-off assistance. Total paid benefits for March amounted to R4.6 million.

Meanwhile in February, ASP registered 522 applications and made payments amounting to R4.3 million.

Those that are requesting for welfare assistance include persons who were either in the informal sector, casual workers and self-employed who have lost their source of revenue; families who have an income but who still find it difficult to make ends meet and suspected substance abusers who were previously getting by with odd jobs such as PET bottle collections and casual employment.

Minister for Family Affairs, Mitcy Larue, laid out these details in the National Assembly yesterday while responding to a private notice question brought by leader of the opposition Wavel Ramkalawan.

Designated Minister, Macsuzy Mondon, was also present to answer questions relating to the humanitarian aid programme being conducted by the department of local government.

In her intervention, Minister Larue observed that the striking increase from February to April is a trend which will continue, with payments of benefits predicted to surpass R10 million in May.

According to the minister, this would be R6 million more than the average disbursements for January up to March 2020 as well more than the average for last year.

Additionally, R2.22 million has been used to assist 854 families whose children benefit from the ‘dedicated funds for school’ programme.

Another R5 million went towards a special allowance for home carers for their work during the prohibition of movement period. The allowance was only applicable for April when the prohibition was in vigour.

To note, ASP was provided with an additional R30 million in the revised national budget for 2020 in order to address the social impacts of the pandemic.

“The Ministry of Family Affairs and its partners are tasked with assisting families, particularly the most vulnerable, to ensure that no one gets left behind. This is especially true for our children who must have their basic needs met,” Minister Larue said.

Due to the large volume of applications, ASP recently partnered with the department of local government to gain additional manpower through volunteers who have been assisting the agency.

Minister Laure also noted that ASP has further strengthened its team which vets applications with professionals from the employment department in order to cope with the amount of applications coming in.

The department of local government has also seen it fit to introduce two new services under its humanitarian aid programme:

• Food assistance for certain vulnerable groups in the society, such as substance abusers.
• Urgent and rapid assistance for those in need who are waiting for ASP to vet their applications.

It is the district administrators who are acting as the focal persons managing and guiding emergency responses.

Elsie Pointe