Poverty: 20 billion euros allocated for new government plan

After eight months of consecutive delays, the government unveiled on Monday the outlines of its new anti-poverty strategy. The Minister of Solidarity has just specified the envelope that will be allocated to him: 20 billion euros over five years to combat difficulties affecting 9.2 million French people, announced Aurore Berger, invited on Tuesday morning on France 2. The previous plan allocated 8 billion euros for four years.

VIDEO. Bourne details the contents of the “Solidarity Pact” to combat poverty

The money will be useful in both supporting “the most directly vulnerable groups, especially children,” but will also allow for an emphasis on “structural actions,” with a particular focus on returning to employment, Aurora Berger explained.

Thus, six billion euros will be allocated to create a “public preschool education service,” the minister specified. The goal is, in part, to “ensure that every family can find a solution to care for their child,” as that could be a “barrier” to some parents returning to work, she explained. In this envelope, 50 million euros will be specifically allocated to “school, textbooks, a canteen worth 1 euro and free breakfasts,” said Aurora Berger.

Fighting poor housing for children

The government’s anti-poverty plan, billed as the Solidarity Pact, should also tackle poor housing for children and “temporary housing that lasts” as these can sometimes be a contributing factor to family dropouts. school. Of the “80 thousand children from low-income families, 40 thousand do not attend school,” the minister emphasized. To “identify” these children in difficulty, Aurora Berger said she wants to triple the number of social mediators.

The new anti-poverty programme, which expands on some of the previous anti-poverty plans, aims to “respond to the urgency of the current social situation” and “address structural inequalities”, Prime Minister Elisabeth Bourne explained during the programme’s launch. plan. The government is planning specific measures for overseas territories, especially those affected by poverty.

For associations fighting instability, we highlight measures that go “in the right direction” but are considered “largely insufficient.”