Residents of the municipality of Coevorden who are in need due to inflation and high energy costs could use a special emergency fund from December: the Maatwerkfonds. Of the no less than 1.7 million euros that the municipality allocated for this, less than 2000 euros has been paid. Nevertheless, Coevorden wants to continue with the fund.
It should be clear that the municipality had expected considerably more applications, given the difference between the amount reserved for this scheme and the sum of money paid out. “The result is disappointing to me,” admits alderman Joop Slomp (Pvda).
According to the municipality, the national measures and the measures taken by households themselves appear to be sufficient in practice to continue to make ends meet. In addition, the municipality says in an evaluation: “The minimum wage has increased by 10 percent as of January 1, the healthcare allowance now usually covers (more than) the costs and the energy allowance and rent reductions also contributed to dampening the increase in costs for households. .”
Of the 45 applications for financial aid from the Maatwerkfonds, only six were approved.
According to the municipality, this is because the majority of applicants are not short of money at the bottom of the line, for example when a household appears to have a substantial buffer, while a condition is that there may only be limited savings. Other applicants sometimes think they are short of money, whereby the budget plan shows that the income and expenditure are still in balance.
“Of the six granted applications, two of them would have ended up in debt assistance without this contribution,” says the evaluation of the municipality.
In one case an amount was allocated for the entire period, five households received an amount for one to three months. The monthly amounts vary from less than ten to almost four hundred euros. In all cases, residents indicate that they want to receive the contribution in the form of an interest-free loan.
The municipality can help residents who ask for help in more ways than with subsidies: “We enter into discussions with all residents who come to us with an application,” says alderman Joop Slomp (PvdA). “In that conversation, all kinds of things are discussed with which the resident can move forward.”
According to the alderman, these people will be able to find the municipality sooner from that moment on and will come back with questions about, for example, refunds from the UWV. This gives the municipality the opportunity to refer residents to aid agencies such as the Facilities Guide, the energy coaches and Humanitas.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm, Coevorden wants to continue the Maatwerkfonds. The municipality suspects that the necessary hidden problems are present in the municipality. “Based on the signals that reach us, for example from aid workers, the temperature in many households is many degrees lower than twenty degrees.”
The municipality thinks that 100,000 euros in the Customization Fund is enough for the rest of the year. This is considerably less than the amount of 1.7 million euros that was released in December.
The municipality does not particularly see households with an income above 120 percent of the social minimum, but they are expected in the applications: “They are now drawing up their buffer and may run into problems at the end of the year.”
The city council of Coevorden agrees with the proposal of the mayor and aldermen about the continuation of the scheme and the release of 100,000 euros for this.
Alderman Slomp announces additional campaigns to increase awareness of the campaign. “We want to approach employers in a very targeted way and run a pilot to visit those households in districts and neighborhoods where we think the need is high.”