HGP Nightly News – Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud says public assistance should not be treated as permanent support, but as a pathway to help vulnerable persons improve their circumstances and eventually stand on their own.
Speaking about the process, Persaud explained that public assistance requires persons to reapply annually, with each application reviewed by the Public Assistance Board. She said that when someone has been receiving assistance for one or two years, the Ministry and the Board must examine whether that person has taken steps to improve their situation.
“We would say, what did you do in those two years? Did you get a job? Did you benefit from any of our training programmes or any of the other government training programmes?” Persaud said.
The minister said beneficiaries are being encouraged to use the many free training opportunities available through the Government. These include the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network, the Empower programme for men, the Board of Industrial Training, and the GOAL scholarship programme.
According to Persaud, these programmes are meant to give persons certification and skills that can help them gain employment or start their own businesses. She said the Ministry wants to see beneficiaries making an effort to move forward.
“So we want to see what you are doing, too,” she said.
Persaud explained that where persons show progress, the Ministry may consider extending assistance for a further period to help them reach a more stable position.
“Once we see that kind of progress, we could say, well, you know, this person is really trying,” she said, adding that support may be extended to help them “elevate a little more.”
She stressed that the goal of public assistance is not repeated renewal without improvement, but helping people become self-sufficient.
“We will work with them until they are off public assistance, and they are on their two feet,” Persaud said.
The minister said the wider purpose of the programme is to lift people out of difficult circumstances rather than keep them in the same position.
“That’s the intention of public assistance. It’s not just renewing, renew, renew, renew, and nobody is doing better,” she said. “Our intention at the Ministry is to help people to do better, not to stay in the same situation.”
