Funding for school lunches, medical help for intensive care patients and rental accommodation assistance have all been reduced in the government’s upcoming 2011/12 budget.
Other programmes, such as the provision of drug and alcohol counselling, parent and family support, as well as children and youth support services through the CAYS foundation, have increased their funding in the spending plan which is due to take effect on 1 July.
According to budget documents, funding for the public school lunch and uniform programme has been reduced nearly $670,000 in the upcoming budget when compared to the amount spent in the current 2010/11 year.
Estimates of the number of kids provided with school uniforms have not been reduced from year-to-year. However, school lunches provided in the upcoming year have been cut to between 600-650 lunches. The previous year estimated between 650-900 lunches were provided.
Also reduced by nearly $170,000, according to the upcoming budget was accommodation and care for elderly, indigent and disabled people – as well as funding for intensive care unit patients. According to records between the two years, the number of elderly or infirm people receiving nursing care would not be reduced, but there was expected to be a slight drop in the number of intensive care patients.
Low-income residents who qualify for rental assistance for urgent housing payments will also see a budget reduction of roughly $450,000 in the upcoming year. The government expects the number of people receiving assistance to drop from 375-400 in the current budget to between 300 and 350 people receiving assistance in 2011/12.
In addition to the other areas, budget reductions totalling more than $1 million were recorded in administration of community assistance programmes, public education on social issues and government supervision and support of children.
Some areas of the government’s social services budget are planned to increase during the 2011/12 budget year.
Those include a boost of about $460,000 for group, couples and family counselling for things like drug issues, relationship problems, and conflict resolution. The CAYS Foundation has also received more than a $400,000 boost for facilities such as the Bonaventure Boys Home and the Frances Bodden Girls Home. Those facilities cater to children who are ordered by the courts into residential care because of criminal offences or other anti-social behaviour.
Need exists
The Cayman Islands Department of Children and Family Services provided some type of financial assistance to nearly 8,000 people in Cayman during 2010.
Community Affairs Minister Mike Adam said earlier this year that those numbers include food vouchers, rental assistance, school uniforms, school meals for children, and medical expenses for travel among other areas.
According to government budget documents for the current 2010/11 fiscal year, some $6.7 million was budgeted for various poor relief programmes, another $6 million set aside for ex-gratia benefit payments to seamen, $4.7 million for the administration of the community assistance programme and another $1.6 million for the care of elderly and indigent people. Mr. Adam said the elderly and infirm had suffered most keenly during the prolonged economic downturn.
“It is sometimes hard to appreciate what we are doing on a daily basis,” he said during an address to United Democratic Party supporters.
Related Videos
