IAS to assist disadvantaged families in MOP20 million budget

Starting in May, the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) will distribute the first special assistance grant of this year’s Social Inclusion Program to 4,905 single-parent, disabled and chronically ill families in the city.

The total expenditure is expected to be approximately 20.32 million patacas, providing much-needed relief to these disadvantaged households.

The special assistance is part of the “Social Integration Program Regulations” scheme and aims to alleviate the living pressures faced by qualifying families. In addition to the special assistance, the IAS will also distribute regular assistance to 1,308 households in May, with the three categories of disadvantaged families receiving the funds through automatic transfer or cash distribution starting from May 16.

The “Social Integration Plan” allows the Macau SAR government to distribute one-time special assistance payments in May and October this year to three categories of disadvantaged families who are receiving regular assistance, or whose income is not higher than a certain multiple of the minimum subsistence index. The amount of the special assistance varies based on the family size, ranging from 2,650 patacas for a single-person household to 10,100 patacas for families with eight or more members. Staff reporter