Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.
Welfare Department clients are slated to receive a 40 per cent increase in all grants and fees, while lower income households are set to get some assistance from those better off.
These were some of the initiatives contained within a $20 million Household Survival programme outlined by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley last night during her wrap-up of the Appropriations Bill at the Worthing Corporate Centre.
The programme is part of the Government’s response in seeking to cushion vulnerable families from fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We will support the likely increase and demand for the Welfare Department as a result of COVID-19 and immediately announce here, an increase of 40 per cent in all rates and fees paid by the Welfare to the clientele that it services on an annual basis.
“In 2018, this Government increased the Welfare Department’s vote by $5 million on top of the $15 million it was getting for a number of years. The increase that this is likely to cost us is just under $10 million and therefore will see an additional amount to the department to help it be able to deal with the increase in fees,” she said.
In addition, Mottley said Government’s plans to identify and help the 650 most vulnerable families will be extended to 1,500 families, and noted this would not only be those provided for by the Welfare Department, but those the Household Mitigation Department identified as retrenched workers.
With $10 million to be used for such a purpose, the PM said while the amount was not large, “it was an amount that is still intended to help people and is larger than the initial welfare grants”.
“The amount will be $600 a month by 1,500 families works out to $900,000 a month and will allow them to be able to feed their families. These funds must be the subject of urgent action,” she stated.
Mottley also said an ‘Adopt Our Families’ programme would be launched, while appealing to the 5,200 households with an annual income of over $100,000 as well as companies which could afford it, to help those living close to or below the poverty line by making contributions to the initiative.
“A country which knows what it is to carry each other, cannot now watch others suffer in this environment,” she said, noting the programme would be chaired by the Director of Finance and Economic Affairs.
Already, Mottley disclosed, the Massy Foundation has agreed to seed fund $200,000 immediately. She also lauded the offer of international superstar Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty to purchase $1.4 million in ventilators, Courts for its donation towards hospital beds and Sagicor for temperature monitors to help the island with its response to the pandemic. (JMB)