The case in summary: NAV wants to spread information about the possibility of applying for extra financial support during the Christmas period. Voluntary organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Church’s City Mission and the Red Cross are experiencing an increased influx of people who need help for Christmas due to tight finances. The number of social assistance recipients has increased by 21,500 people from 2022 to 2023, an increase of 16.4 per cent. Around 100,000 children in Norway live in families with poor means, and the need for social assistance is complex, including singles, families, young people and refugees. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Now Nav wants the information to reach those who may need a little extra help. At Nav, it is possible to apply for a little extra financial support now, in order to get that little extra for Christmas. Voluntary organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Church’s City Mission and the Red Cross are well aware that people are financially tighter this year than in recent years. The influx of people who need help at Christmas is large. Do you have any tips on how the money can last a little longer during Christmas? Enter your comment at the bottom of the case. More recipients of social assistance But the fact that you can apply for extra support for Christmas is too poorly known among people who live on social assistance. – There are many reasons why people may need support from us. We see that it has been an expensive time for a long time, and then many refugees have come to Norway, says Nav director Hans Christian Holte. Nav director Hans Christian Holte made the trip to Drammen to hear how the Nav office in Drammen and Nav manager there, Katrine Christiansen, help everyone who needs help during the Christmas month. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news According to figures from Statistics Norway, the number of social assistance recipients has increased by 21,500 people from 2022 until now. This is an increase of 16.4 per cent. Last year, 152,500 received social assistance. – Now before Christmas, many people will feel that we should perhaps do something extra this Christmas, or create the Christmas atmosphere we want. There are some who struggle and need social assistance, says Holte. Number of social assistance recipients 2019: 130,000 2020: 124,800 2021: 119,400 2022: 131,100 2023: 152,600 Source: SSB – It’s incredibly important that people get to know news’s economic commentator, Cecilie Langum Becker, says there is a big difference between how individuals feel, and how the economy is doing in Norway. – We have had several years of high price growth, in addition to 14 interest rate increases in three years. It is reasonably hefty for anyone with a mortgage, she says and adds: Cecilie Langum Becker is an economic commentator on news. Photo: news – For those who do not earn enough to get a mortgage, they are at least as badly affected by the fact that rent prices have increased a lot. Those who earn the least are the ones who have it the hardest when the prices of absolutely necessary things, such as food and housing, increase a lot – because they have to spend so much more of their income to cover what you simply cannot live without. She says that although the vast majority manage well, it has become both more expensive and tougher for those who have the least. – It is incredibly important that people find out about such measures, and that they make use of them. It may be what is needed to get through Christmas in a good way, and may also remove some worries, says Langum Becker. She emphasizes the importance of not burying your head in the sand, but rather contacting banks and others to whom you owe money, in order to make a plan. – If you haven’t applied for exemption from installments yet, for example, that is also an option you can look at, she says. Must show special consideration for families with children Anyone who does not have money to support themselves can apply for this extra support, and everyone receives an individual assessment from Nav. Some families may need extra support for gifts, food or other things in connection with the Christmas celebration, and special consideration must be given to the children. How much you can get varies from municipality to municipality. In Drammen, the sum is set at NOK 500 per adult and NOK 350 per child. The application form can be found on Nav’s website https://www.nav.no/start/okonomisk-sosialhjelp. But it is also possible to contact Nav where you live. Although this support is not known to everyone, it has been around for many years. Dreading for Christmas The Salvation Army is busy in the weeks before Christmas. There are many people asking for help. In a recent survey by the Salvation Army, one in five answered that they dread Christmas. Many of them are terrified because they can’t make ends meet. Elin Herikstad, assistant social manager in the Salvation Army, says that they have many people who come to them for help in getting the most important thing, namely food. Elin Herikstad is assistant social manager in the Salvation Army. Photo: The Salvation Army – On the third Christmas, we are facing difficult times. And it has only continued to increase with people struggling a lot. – That is why it is important that the scheme at Nav where you can apply for financial help before Christmas is made known. She says that they inform about the scheme when people visit them. – It’s not that much, but it’s important to get that little extra. – It’s about us enjoying ourselves and having some extra food on the table and some gifts. When you are in a situation where you have difficulty getting dinner on a normal Thursday, it becomes extra challenging to celebrate Christmas, says Herikstad. A complex group Around 100,000 children in Norway live in families with poor means. Around 3,000 of them live in Drammen, and the head of Nav in Drammen, Katrine Christiansen, notices this: – I feel that we are in an expensive time, and that there are more residents now who have needs, compared to, for example, 2022. We notice it are high interest rates, and that many people have less to live on. Nav leader for Nav in Drammen, Katrine Christiansen. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news – Are these families? – There are single people, families, young people and refugees. So the target group is complex. Do you have any tips on how the money can last a little longer during Christmas? Hello! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in to other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue Published 12.12.2024, at 06.26
ttn-69
You can get extra money from Nav for Christmas – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
