08/05/2024

Equity Ministry to Align its Public Assistance Programme (PAP) to its Empowerment Mandate

By Ministry of Equity

The Ministry of Equity, under the stewardship of Hon. Joachim A. Henry is seeking to realign and strengthen the Public Assistance Programme (PAP), through the implementation of a much-needed  Strategy for Graduation, aimed at empowering beneficiaries and fostering economic independence.

The importance of empowering individuals rather than fostering dependence on social support services is central to the success of the initiative. The government's commitment to this principle was underscored recently by Minister Henry, as he highlighted future plans for the roll out of the Strategy for Graduation from social assistance in Saint Lucia (2022-2030). In his April 25, 2024-2025 Budget presentation, Minister Henry assured that his Ministry will apply the strategic approach outlined in the Strategy document to the Public Assistance Programme

"Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned during my last budget presentation, our waiting list of persons who qualify for the Public Assistance Programme (PAP), but who cannot be placed on the program keeps growing, To address the needs of our most vulnerable as a country, we must apply these interventions to social uplift, empower, and facilitate the economic inclusion of our most vulnerable."

Minister Henry emphasized the critical need for transparency and objectivity in the administration of social welfare programmes. He announced that the graduation process had commenced with comprehensive training sessions for Ministry officials, focusing on the adoption of a Public Assistance Programme Operations Manual. This manual, he says, will serve as a guide to ensuring transparency and fairness in the selection process of beneficiaries.

 “Individuals from Welfare Group 1 with a score of 68 and below are classified as the indigent poor; they are eligible for welfare support. Individuals with a score between 68-69 (Welfare group 2) classified as poor, Will be assessed for eligibility to receive support, in preparation for graduation from the programme. Those with a score more than 79 are non-poor (Welfare Grroup3). They will be further assessed and placed in two clusters. In Cluster 1, non-poor but vulnerable, individuals will be offered short-term support based on their needs towards their graduation, while individuals in Cluster 2 (Non-poor and not vulnerable) will be given notice to exit the programme. Mr. Speaker, once we remain committed to this method, we can monitor the list of persons on public assistance while empowering those who have the capacity and capability to do so. Because public assistance is for poor persons and if you are not poor, how do we graduate you,” noted Minister Henry.

Through the implementation of a graduation strategy, the Government of Saint Lucia aims to reduce the number of existing Public Assistance Programme-Cash Transfer Grant beneficiaries while simultaneously adding new ones to the beneficiary list. This approach seeks to not only alleviate immediate financial burdens but also to equip individuals with the skills and resources necessary to thrive independently in the long term.

To date, the Ministry of Equity continues to apply the Saint Lucia National Eligibility tool (SL Net 3.0), approved by Cabinet in 2019, to identify eligible persons for public assistance. Currently, over 3000 households have been deemed eligible and receive the monthly cash transfer grants from the Government, with over 700 of them being deemed non-poor and should be weaned off the programme.  Meantime, some 1,500 new applicants have been assessed as eligible to be placed on the programme, however, space constraints remain a major issue.