9. Hon TAU HENARE (National) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What recent announcements has she made to support community social services?
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
We have announced the successful applicants to the sixth round of the Community Response Fund, and I am pleased that nearly $14 million has been granted to 345 organisations. We created this fund to help organisations to keep delivering services to families through tough times, and it has done just that. Since the fund began, more than $55 million has been paid out to 694 community organisations, and on top of that there was a special round just for Canterbury of $7.5 million.
Has the Community Response Fund provided any support for budgeting and financial services that are facing an increasing workload?
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
Yes, $2.3 million has been given to 57 organisations in round six. To date, under the Community Response Fund, budgeting and financial assistance organisations have received about $5.3 million in total.