It’s difficult to get help when you’re living in poverty. Shame, anxiety and complex rules all get in the way. The Instituut voor Publieke Economie (IPE) studied poverty relief policy. “I never realized that it was so fragmented.”

Up to three hundred euros less

“People living in poverty receive allowances from the national government, but it is not enough to get by on. That is why Dutch municipalities provide additional help”, explains Jasper J. van Dijk, lead researcher at IPE. How they do this and who qualifies for help differs significantly from one municipality to another. “As a result, households may receive up to three hundred euros less per month in one municipality than in another. Even if their situation is exactly the same.”

Forms and service points

The differences between municipalities turned out not to be due to them being unwilling to help people. “Many municipalities offer the same types of assistance. For example, a bicycle, a laptop, a library subscription, public transport or a local food bank. But each of these schemes is organized slightly differently in each municipality.”

“We were surprised by the huge number of separate schemes. In many cases, people keep having to fill in forms repeatedly or report to yet another service point. Consequently, poverty relief policy is so fragmented and complex that it’s almost incomprehensible. Residents get caught up in all the bureaucracy, as do the municipalities themselves. With the result that many schemes don’t get used. For example, because residents are afraid of making mistakes in their application or because they don’t even know the schemes exist.”

Practical recommendations

For this reason, IPE advocates for simplifying poverty relief policy. One recommendation is that some of the municipal schemes should be implemented at national level. It would also help to give people money instead of all kinds of separate membership cards, vouchers or items. Fortunately, the IPE study also discovered inspiring practices, such as in Wageningen. There they invite everyone who’s eligible for poverty relief individually, to talk about their situation. What income and expenses do they have, and where are they cutting it short?

Pride

The Minister of Social Affairs and Employment at the time invited Van Dijk and his team to talk about the study. “From the detailed questions he asked, I could tell he’d read the report carefully. Having contributed to increasing knowledge and understanding of this subject at various levels, and really having set something in motion, gives me a sense of pride.”

Just the start

“It will take a lengthy process to get such a complex system as poverty relief policy in the Netherlands sorted out”, Jasper emphasizes. “So we view the report as a first step. Its launch caused quite a stir, which was nice. The TV show Kassa devoted an episode to it and several municipalities invited us to come and discuss it. Partly due to Adessium’s support, we were able to hire an extra researcher. This enabled us to accept further invitations and develop more focused recommendations, ultimately making it easier for municipalities to apply our findings in practice.”

Photo above: guided by her motto ‘There is always a way out’, Marcela (center) uses her experience to help others living in poverty. She is one of Kansfonds’ experts by experience. Image courtesy of Kansfonds, photo by Linelle Deunk.