Topic: NAU
Rent, food and internet benefits increased amid cost-of-living crisis
Large increases to benefits payments for rent, utilities and food as well as new stipends for phone, internet and transport have been pushed through to help Cayman’s most vulnerable cope with the rising cost of living.
Needs Assessment Unit Launches New Systems to Transform Client Service Experience
The Ministry of Investment, Innovation and Social Development (MIISD) is pleased to announce the launch of two initiatives at the Needs Assessment Unit (NAU), that will have a meaningful, direct impact and lay the groundwork for commencement of the Financial Assistance Act (2022) later in the year.
Internships to bridge gap from welfare to work in overhaul of government aid
Able bodied adults receiving financial assistance will be linked with internships to help them get back to work as part of sweeping changes to the welfare system in the Cayman Islands.
Gov’t approves extra cash for seafarers and recipients of long-term financial assistance
Government has increased the seafarers and veterans ex gratia benefit as well as long-term financial assistance by $300, taking monthly benefits to $1,250.
Hope for the Sanders family: Mum, kids head to Canada
After spending sleepless nights on the beach worrying over what lies ahead, Olivia Sanders now has hope for the future after leaving Cayman with her kids to complete her studies.
Surviving by the sea: Family forced to live on beach
Looking out at the picturesque, turquoise waters off Cayman's eastern coastline expectant mother Olivia Sanders gently cradled her two-year-old son William as she nursed him under the shade of a tent that has now become the family's new home.
‘Degrading’ and ‘unfair’: Support for people with disabilities mired in red tape
For people with disabilities already facing day-to-day challenges, being forced to navigate a web of red tape to seek vital support through the Needs Assessment Unit has proven to be a heartbreaking and frustrating reality for a number of Caymanians in need.
‘Landmark’ law a first step in sweeping welfare reform
A proposed new law seeks to provide broader support for families in need in the Cayman Islands. The Financial Assistance Bill aims to replace out dated and inadequate legislation underpinning the island’s welfare system.
Slow payments marred government’s COVID-relief effort
A patchwork of hastily assembled COVID-relief programmes were inconsistently managed and payments to those in need were often late, according to an internal government report.
Website launched to simplify applying for NAU aid
The Needs Assessment Unit has launched a new website to make it easier for people to determine if they are eligible for government financial assistance.
Angelica’s story: ‘I feel like giving up’
When Angelica Thompson-Miller lost her job in the first days of the pandemic, it was just the beginning of her problems.
NAU complaints log highlights frustration and desperation
Seething with anger, frustration and, in some cases, pure desperation, emails sent to the Needs Assessment Unit – released to the Cayman Compass following an open records request – paint a picture of struggle and stress amid the pandemic.
Tenants of government-owned apartments relocated
The Department of Children and Family Services has relocated four families from the Lyndhurst Apartments complex, on Crewe Road in George Town.
Cayman Food Bank opens pantry in East End
The Good Samaritan’s Cayman Food Bank is one of the many local charities stepping up to help the community in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
NAU applications on the rise
The demand for Needs Assessment Unit assistance by vulnerable Caymanians is increasing as some 136 new applications are set to be processed this week.
One-off payments made to vulnerable Caymanians
Premier Alden McLaughlin has said promised off-payments to Cayman’s vulnerable groups have been delivered.
Government struggles to house DCFS and NAU clients
A shortage of available properties and landlords who are willing to accept payments from the Needs Assessment Unit is proving problematic for the government as it tries to find suitable homes for NAU and Department of Children and Family Service clients.
Man arrested after making threats at Needs Assessment Unit
Police say they arrested a Bodden Town man, 34, after he threatened staff at the Needs Assessment Unit by phone and then showed up at the George Town office Wednesday. NAU staff called police at about 10:45 a.m. Wednesday. Police say the man was unstable and the NAU had denied his claim for assistance.
Minister: Hundreds on assistance waiting list
About 340 applications seeking permanent financial assistance are pending assessment by the government’s needs assessment unit, Community Affairs Minister Osbourne Bodden said Wednesday.
