4w ago

Beneficiaries on money cards may not be able to pay rent

www.rnz.co.nz

Beneficiaries sanctioned with money management cards will often be unable to pay rent, government data shows, putting them at risk of homelessness.
The sanction for non-complying Jobseekers would lock half their benefit into payment cards that cannot be spent on rent - but official statistics from MSD show the average beneficiary is already spending more than 53 percent of their income on housing costs.

MSD confirmed to RNZ the cards - being introduced from 26 May - would see beneficiaries' Jobseeker payments split, with half going onto a payment card unable to be used on rent.
"The Money Management card will be able to be used at grocery, transport, healthcare (including prescriptions) and education suppliers ... [it] cannot be used on other expenses such as rent or utilities," general manager income Shannon Soughtton said.

3 comments

Really good to see the perspective and story of a beneficiary taking up a decent amount of space in an article. That does not happen often.
- Especially one that's presented normally.
  Occasionally you see articles where they present a beneficiary with a point of view like complaining about not being able to afford icecream, which is disappointing because it obscures more pressing problems like not being able to afford green veges or medications.

I wish social policy were driven by results and best practice instead of these weird ideological gestures.