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.”
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Does Wheatley mean belongers when he says residents?
Is there anything That this man does that is not an issue? He could find the cure for cancer and would be critisied that he took to long. smh. what a set of ungreatful people .Thats why when some of these politicans giving you all licks and taking you for everthing I dont listen to the bawling. When you have a person looking out for the people you all see a soft target.
These politicians are hilarious. Not too long ago he and his party were on the airwaves complaining about how the COI stopping money from getting to the people. Now this same COI is responsible for increasing the grants and he saying how happy the people are, but no mention of the COI. You can’t make this stuff up.
Thanks also to Hon. Stacy Mather for your consistent Advocacy… Very much Appreciated.
Great that some are expressing gratitude. Why is itthat the severly needy appear to non existant in the process then?
The senior citizens shouldn’t be thanking you all for no grants because they worked and paid on those monies, and Vybz Kartel could just march out a prison in Jamaica and come to the BVI to m** m** sowandie to get quarter million USD $250k just so for chatting s**t and gyrate for a hour, when the citizens put on over 50 years of the their sweat to build the treasury finance and then should celebrate pittance added to what they are receiving. Natalio go sit down.
Hon. Mather has been advocating for this since he was elected and before. Although this increase is still marginal; I hope that more will be budgeted for our seniors that sacrificed much to get the BVI’s to where it is at today.
Listings of recipients granted Publicly funded handouts should be publicly and openly published and/ or available.
Immigrants with a child(ren)/husband enjoying the largesse of HMS Prison as inmate the cost of approx $ 40,000 yearly,should in all fairness be exempt. I can document my BVIsland heritage from both of my parents as far back as in the 1700. I am in my late 80″s and not even a grain of salt have I been offered or gifted by the BVI Gov. I am not alone in this onesided graft aka assist.
You have to go through the process of applying.
Well I so ashame of the Premier and Wheatley on the airways talking about seniors month.
Do they have elderly siblings? I don’t think so! Do they listen to themselves before coming to the airways? And who ever writes their speaches, are they ever going to get old?
The speaches are heartless in regards to the elderly. Where is the “PROPER PLACE ” place for these historians to congreate and reminace on their past and the foundation of our country? Hypocrites!!!