5. AARON GILMORE (National) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
How is the Government supporting social services in Canterbury?
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
As part of Budget 2011 we have announced a further $10 million to support Canterbury social services. This takes the Government’s social services support to a total of $20 million. It is clear there is ongoing demand for support as the response and recovery effort unfolds, particularly given the consequences of the ongoing aftershocks. This funding is going to counselling and local social services agencies in order to support Cantabrians as they deal with this disaster.
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
To date, the Government has granted $7.3 million of the $7.5 million through the special Canterbury Community Response Fund round. The Community Response Fund has been distributed to 335 organisations—$3.2 million of that is for increased demand, $2.8 million is for coordination services, and around $1 million is for non-governmental organisation relocation.