A comprehensive social welfare
system takes care of people of
different ages.。

Taichung City Government has
developed several welfare
policies for infants and small
children.

A friendly city should have full
and well thought- out welfare
policies for its physically-isabled
residents.

New Year's new hope: Taichung's new social welfare policies

Words by Cheng Shu-hao
Translated by Angel Pu

For the new year, Taichung City Government has planned several new social welfare policies for needy residents.

Recent news reports covered an organization that allegedly misled elderly men into believing that it would assist them with funerals and related arrangements after they died, but in fact was making a profit off of them. To deal with this problem, the mayor has ordered the city government's Social Affairs Bureau to relax restrictions on funeral and burial subsidies. Thus, starting on Jan. 1, low-income families can also receive these subsidies.

To apply under this new policy, those who are listed as low-income families can go to township offices after preparing required documents, or call the "1999" hotline to get further help from the city government. Each subsidy is NT$30,000 and the bureau predicts there will be 800 applicants per year.

Big gifts for families with babies
In order to lighten the load of Taichung City parents with infants, the city government on Jan. 1 introduced some new welfare policies. First, all city newborns are qualified for a NT$10,000 birth subsidy, and their parents will also receive a gift bag with diapers, thermos cup pouch and booklet with subsidy information.

Second, the city government has a new day-care subsidy that is the first of its kind among local Taiwanese governments. According to the bureau, every infant in Taichung City under the age of 2 can apply for city government-cooperating day-care centers or nurseries. Those who have already qualified for the Ministry of the Interior's day-care subsidies can receive NT$3,000 per month, and those who don't qualify can receive NT$2,000/month.

The third policy covers families with multiple births (twins or triplets). The city government is now providing services for such families so that parents can get more rest. Every Taichung City family with infants of multiple births aged 3 or under can apply for these services and get a short-term baby care, limited to 40 hours per month.

Physically-disabled people now enjoy new welfare services
The Social Affairs Bureau has offered a "day care service for families with physically-disabled members" service, offering an alternative to private day centers and domestic helpers that allows disabled people to receive care from community nursing organizations.

According to the bureau, every physically-disabled Taichung resident over the age of 15 who is not qualified for the government's long-term service project, not living in a nursing center, not receiving care from any nursing service (such as domestic nurses) and doesn't receive any subsidies from the government can apply for this service.

Minority families now have housing subsidies
In order to take care of single-parent families, the Social Affairs Bureau also now offers subsidies to families who meet the following criteria:
1. Single-parent families with underaged members living and registered in Taichung City. The period that it has been a single-parent family should not exceed one year.
2. Women who are victims of domestic violence. The case should have occurred less than a year ago (according to the time of the official report).
3. Families qualifying for the "Families with Special Circumstances Subsidy" can apply for a housing subsidy, and the period of them being qualified for this subsidy should not be over a year.
4. The total income of the applicant family, divided by the number of family members, should not exceed the lowest cost of living index announced by the government that month by more than 2.5 times. The family's property should not exceed the standard amount set by the "Families with Special Circumstances Ordinance".
Families that qualify by the above conditions can apply for the subsidy via local township offices or the Holotun Family Welfare Service Center.

After social workers visit applicant families, the city government will decide if they qualify for the subsidies. If they do qualify, the subsidies will be given according to the number of family members. For example, a family of four or more receives NT$6,000 per household, while a family of one to three members gets NT$4,000/household. The subsidy will be given for a maximum six months and if a family's condition has not improved after this period, applicants can request a subsidy extension of up to three months, although the subsidy amount will be cut in half.

Taiwan's first food bank
It has been said that Taichung City is often a national pioneer for social welfare policies. For example, three years ago the city government offered food coupons to the children of poor families. If such families needed immediate help but could not obtain the required documents, the teachers of the children could assist them in getting the subsidies. A food bank set up last August at Central district's First Square shopping complex is Taiwan's first supermarket-style food bank. In only four months, it has earned positive reviews from other nations, and the Food Bank in the United States has sent representatives to Taiwan to inspect it. Because the number of households allowed to receive food from the food bank has increased from 2,000 to 3,000, the Social Affairs Bureau now has plans to create two more food banks in Dali and Fengyuan districts for the convenience of families in more remote areas.