As the effects of the new coronavirus continue for a long time, it is a national system that allows people who have lost their jobs to borrow their living expenses for the time being. got it.
The national "emergency small-lot fund" and "comprehensive support fund" are systems that allow people who are having trouble living due to unemployment or a decrease in income to borrow their living expenses for the time being without interest, and the Social Welfare Council is the contact point. increase.
"Emergency small-lot funds" can borrow up to 200,000 yen, and "Comprehensive support funds" can borrow up to 200,000 yen per month for 3 months in principle. Special measures are being continued that even those who are found to be affected can apply.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of loan decisions for the two systems has reached 3,184,598 in the two years from March 25 to 26 last month, amounting to 1,369.9 billion yen.
In the two years from fiscal 2009 after the Lehman shock, the number of loans under the two systems was about 106,000, about 49 billion yen, which is about 28 times the amount at that time.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to extend the application deadline for special measures until the end of June due to the prolonged impact of the new corona.
In addition, the national "Housing Security Benefit" is a system in which the local government pays the rent up to a certain amount to those who cannot pay the rent due to loss of work, etc. The payment period is 3 months in principle, and the maximum is It's been 9 months.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the payment of "Housing Security Benefits" has been decided for 174,539 cases from April to the end of January.
Support for the needy The burden on staff is heavy, and discussions are being made for improvement.
As the effects of the new coronavirus continue, the burden on the staff of the Social Welfare Council, which supports people in need, is increasing, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is making improvements through a study group made up of experts and local government staff. We are continuing discussions towards.
At the study group, we are discussing the ideal way and issues of the "living poor independence support system" that supports people who are in need of living due to unemployment or decrease in income, and also about efforts to reduce the burden on the supporting staff. We are exchanging opinions.
We plan to compile a report later this month.
In the future, we will continue discussions at the Social Security Council and will strengthen our efforts to improve the system from next year.
Investigate the impact on local government consultation support
The think tank "Hokkaido Comprehensive Research Study Group" commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare investigated the impact of the spread of the new coronavirus on consultation support from November to December.
The survey was answered by 544 local governments, including prefectures and municipalities that set up "independence counseling support organizations" to provide counseling for people in need.
According to this, when asked about "the burden and difficulty of carrying out the work," 90.6% of the respondents answered "I feel strongly" and "I feel a little".
The local government commented, "The counselor is overwhelmed by the administrative procedures for lending, and there is a fact that he cannot concentrate on the original counseling work."
In addition, when asked if there were any cases where they were consulted regarding the application for "Housing Security Benefits" but did not lead to continuous support, 56.1% answered "Yes".
There are also conspicuous voices from local governments saying, "I was too busy with consultations."
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said, "The burden on the supporters such as counselors of local governments and social welfare councils is heavy, and the situation is prolonged. I want to work toward improvement. "