Residents express gratitude for government grants

Minister of Health and Social Development Vincent Wheatley has revealed that residents have been expressing gratitude for the increased grants being provided under the Public Assistance (Amendment) Act 2024.

The Act was updated last year and provides basic income grants, hardship allowances, and shock response grants for vulnerable persons. Allowances across all categories rose earlier this year following a Cabinet approval to ease the financial burden on vulnerable families.

Minister Wheatley said persons with disability and the elderly have thanked him for the allowances, saying the grants assist with their bills and other living expenses.

“Even the seniors, some come up to me and say ‘thank you, I like the increase’. This has really brought the monthly burden down for families, particularly the elderly. Those grants went from $337 to $504. Those increases aren’t major to us but a couple hundred dollars is making a big difference,” Wheatley explained on the Virgin Islands Voice programme.

He continued: “It’s what we’re here for — to look out for all the vulnerable, whether they are young, people with disability, or the elderly.”

Under the revised public assistance programme, single-person grants rose from $200 to $320, while families of five receive $1,000, up from $375. The grant for persons with disabilities increased from $225 to $495, and the grants for the elderly rose from $337 to $506.25.

The government said the increases are designed to be “directly tied to the actual cost of essential needs, providing “a more substantial and impactful support system for our most vulnerable residents.”