JUST OVER 236,000 needy persons are to receive financial assistance under the Jamaica Unified Benefit Programme (JUBP).
The social welfare programme, an amalgamation of the Food Stamp, Poor Relief and Public Assistance programmes, is slated to begin in February 2002 with 6,000 persons in St. Catherine. This will eventually be extended to other parishes in October.
Making the announcement at a press briefing at the Hilton Kingston Hotel recently, the Minister, Donald Buchanan, Labour and Social Security Minister, explained that under the programme, each beneficiary would receive $300 per individual, per household for the first year, up from $150 per individual per household, under the three existing programmes. The benefit will increase to $375 per person in 2003 and to $500 per person by 2004.
The Government expects to spend $1.6 billion on the project during the first year, he said.
With the most recent Survey of Living Conditions (SLC) report putting the number of persons in an average Jamaican household living below the poverty line at five, each household could receive up to $1,500 per month in the first year, Minister Buchanan stated.
He noted that the increase in benefits would be facilitated by reducing administrative costs to 7 per cent of allocated funding, or $74 million during the first year. This will allow beneficiaries to receive up to 93 per cent of allocated funds. Under the current system, only 81 per cent of funds go to beneficiaries.
Electronic transfers to payment agencies or direct payments to beneficiaries are options that the Ministry is considering to reduce costs.
The Minister stated that surveys would be carried out to ensure that only the most needy would benefit. Beneficiaries would need to make regular attendance to health clinics and children between six and 17 years would need to be in school regularly for the benefits to continue.
He said that social workers would be working closely with families and schools to ensure that children attended classes at least 85 per cent of the time. This, he said, was necessary to stymie what he described as the "inter-generational cycle of poverty".
