In the first round, HCMC delivered financial aid to over 365,000 freelancers without job, 52,000 employees staying at home with no salary, 5,800 households having to stop their business, and 15,000 traders in traditional markets.
In the second round, the city is determined to finish distributing support packages to a similar quantity of people to the first one on August 15. In addition, nearly 90,600 poor families and 170,000 vulnerable individuals staying in rented rooms, rented houses, and medical lockdown areas will also receive help, with the priority to household of 3 members and above.
Dialing the hotline of SGGP News, P.V.L. in Tang Nhon Phu B Ward of Thu Duc City reported that for the last 2 months, many people in his neighborhood have received no support or essential commodities even though they are classified as poor unemployed families. Receiving the news, Chairman of Tang Nhon Phu B Ward People’s Committee urgently directed his staff to deliver help immediately.
Lately, besides official hotlines of various newspapers in HCMC, there are also information hotline like 1022 to receive reports and feedbacks from city dwellers. Extension 2 of Hotline 1022 so far has recorded around 159,000 calls per day on average. Extension 1 of the hotline of HCMC People’s Council has also received a large number of calls related to financial aid distribution to the poor.
The Standing Committee of HCMC Party Committee has directed that in the upcoming days, the city focus on caring for both the physical and spiritual life of all residents, and that social benefit packages must be delivered at door of receivers.
In Binh Thanh District, people in poor neighborhoods receive help from the second round financial aid. (Photo: SGGP)
In Binh Thanh District, to not omit anyone in need in this supporting round, the local committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front cooperates with local organizations and leaders, police officers in charge of each neighborhood to review the nomination list.
In District 7, the Division of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs is directed to work closely with the local social insurance unit, leaders of all wards to make a list of eligible people and then verify with corresponding businesses. Volunteer teams are mobilized to visit each rented room or house together with landlords to ensure no poor person is missed.
In District 12, besides using the allocated finance from the city, the localities call upon the help of charity groups so that even those not eligible for the support package of the city can still receive help from relief items. The district makes good use of the formal hotline 1022 and the phone numbers of its quick response teams.
In Thu Duc City, over 193,000 workers need financial aid. Therefore, besides distributing money from the city and the Government funds, Thu Duc City is offering those not in the eligible list of Resolution 9 a support package of VND800,000 (approx. US$35) each. Until August 6, the city was able to deliver around VND36 billion ($1.6 million) to the poor and vulnerable here.
Director of the HCMC Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Le Minh Tan explained that in the first round, eligible people to receive financial aid are those legally living in HCMC and having an income of less than VND4 million ($176) per person per month.
He added that his department is improving its services and expanding the eligible list to now include jobs with unstable income like motorbike taxi riders.
