Single mother is refused categorical assistance for having a foreign car
As ERB has found out, you will have to forget about state assistance if the commission sees new furniture and one refrigerator used by two families in your flat. Deputy head of the commission: We had two refusals. One – for having two flats, and the other – for having a car. Certain questions arise if you have such property, - told a member of the Central District Commission on social protection in her interview with ERB.
Deputy head of the commission: One mother had a Fiat produced in 1994 and a summer house and the other had two flats in Minsk, so we refused them.
An old foreign car made the commission worry and they refused the single mother because, the department of social protection explained it to ERB, the categorical assistance was meant for the poorest. That is for paupers. If there is new furniture and consumer electronics in the flat and one refrigerator for two families the commission will have to find out where the money came from. People wishing to get categorical assistance should better forget about trips abroad – that will be the first signal meaning that the family is far from being poor. The commission from Central District admits that families’ income may be above average while the head of the social protection department of Frunzenski District Iryna Marchanka concludes that only the poorest citizens may get the assistance.
Іryna Marchanka: If a person has new furniture and consumer electronics produced last year it means he or she had the money to buy it all, so how can they appeal for the state assistance? We take it into account in this case, but nobody would pay attention to it if the things were bought 10 years ago.
After all documents are ready, a commission of 7 people will decide whether the family needs categorical assistance or not. They warn the host about their visit and come to look at the living conditions. They pay attention to everything: sanitary norms, the date of production of consumer electronics, the car and other property. If there is a summer house or another flat you are letting it to someone, or if there is a garage to let the commission will immediately refuse you and will no longer consider your appeal.
For example, a single mother living with her parents has to prove the commission that the two families have separate households. Separate refrigerators and furniture may prove that the mother and the child need categorical assistance. The only good thing is that the commission warns you about the visit, so owners of expensive electronics, furniture and other valuables should better hide everything at their neighbours’.
The comission of Partyzanski District proved to be the most humane. The head of the department on social protection Lyudmila Kazakova confessed to ERB that the human element had always meant a lot.
ERB: How can a single mother living with her parents prove that they have separate households?
Lyudmіla Kazakova: Well, if parents say that these products are theirs and those are hers. You cannot get documentary proves. So you have to believe.
That is why there has not been a single refusal. By the way, 21 people turned to Partyzanski District department of social protection and 6 of them are already getting money.
58 people applied for categorical assistance in Central District in January and 26 of them are already getting money. An employee of the social protection department says that the number of applicants has increased dramatically: only 68 people asked for assistance in 2007. The income of people should have been 60% of the living wage last year and this year it should not be less than 100%. That is the money a family can apply for.
Employee of the department: A single mother with two minor children is getting the highest assistance – 329 thousand 150 rubles per month and the lowest one is 22.520.
155 people turned to Frunzenski District Department of social protection. Their documents are being studied. 20 people have already managed to get categorical assistance in Maskouski District. The deputy head of the department of social categorical assistance Katsyaryna Zhuchenka told ERB that only one family of students and a pensioner came to them in January. The rest were single mothers.
Katsyaryna Zhuchenka: The highest categorical assistance was allocated to a family with three children - 1 million 266 thousands. They will be getting it for three months.
Slutsk Department of social assistance informed ERB that people only came for consultations in January and nobody has gathered all the necessary documents yet. Babriusk Department wasn’t even able to answer how many people asked them for categorical assistance.
Deputy head of the commission: One mother had a Fiat produced in 1994 and a summer house and the other had two flats in Minsk, so we refused them.
An old foreign car made the commission worry and they refused the single mother because, the department of social protection explained it to ERB, the categorical assistance was meant for the poorest. That is for paupers. If there is new furniture and consumer electronics in the flat and one refrigerator for two families the commission will have to find out where the money came from. People wishing to get categorical assistance should better forget about trips abroad – that will be the first signal meaning that the family is far from being poor. The commission from Central District admits that families’ income may be above average while the head of the social protection department of Frunzenski District Iryna Marchanka concludes that only the poorest citizens may get the assistance.
Іryna Marchanka: If a person has new furniture and consumer electronics produced last year it means he or she had the money to buy it all, so how can they appeal for the state assistance? We take it into account in this case, but nobody would pay attention to it if the things were bought 10 years ago.
After all documents are ready, a commission of 7 people will decide whether the family needs categorical assistance or not. They warn the host about their visit and come to look at the living conditions. They pay attention to everything: sanitary norms, the date of production of consumer electronics, the car and other property. If there is a summer house or another flat you are letting it to someone, or if there is a garage to let the commission will immediately refuse you and will no longer consider your appeal.
For example, a single mother living with her parents has to prove the commission that the two families have separate households. Separate refrigerators and furniture may prove that the mother and the child need categorical assistance. The only good thing is that the commission warns you about the visit, so owners of expensive electronics, furniture and other valuables should better hide everything at their neighbours’.
The comission of Partyzanski District proved to be the most humane. The head of the department on social protection Lyudmila Kazakova confessed to ERB that the human element had always meant a lot.
ERB: How can a single mother living with her parents prove that they have separate households?
Lyudmіla Kazakova: Well, if parents say that these products are theirs and those are hers. You cannot get documentary proves. So you have to believe.
That is why there has not been a single refusal. By the way, 21 people turned to Partyzanski District department of social protection and 6 of them are already getting money.
58 people applied for categorical assistance in Central District in January and 26 of them are already getting money. An employee of the social protection department says that the number of applicants has increased dramatically: only 68 people asked for assistance in 2007. The income of people should have been 60% of the living wage last year and this year it should not be less than 100%. That is the money a family can apply for.
Employee of the department: A single mother with two minor children is getting the highest assistance – 329 thousand 150 rubles per month and the lowest one is 22.520.
155 people turned to Frunzenski District Department of social protection. Their documents are being studied. 20 people have already managed to get categorical assistance in Maskouski District. The deputy head of the department of social categorical assistance Katsyaryna Zhuchenka told ERB that only one family of students and a pensioner came to them in January. The rest were single mothers.
Katsyaryna Zhuchenka: The highest categorical assistance was allocated to a family with three children - 1 million 266 thousands. They will be getting it for three months.
Slutsk Department of social assistance informed ERB that people only came for consultations in January and nobody has gathered all the necessary documents yet. Babriusk Department wasn’t even able to answer how many people asked them for categorical assistance.
