This is what Reinier van Zutphen, the national ombudsman, says today in an interview with NRC. Children go to school on a full stomach and people can no longer pay rent, gas and electricity, he notes.
According to the newspaper, today, on the occasion of World Poverty Day, the National Ombudsman will publish a report on people living at subsistence level. His harsh conclusion: that social minimum is too low.
‘It’s too little’
For a single recipient of social assistance benefits, the net amount is approximately € 1100. “If I look at what people now need to live, the conclusion is: it’s not enough. It’s that simple,” Van Zutphen told NRC.
Social minimum
According to the government, the social minimum is the minimum amount needed to provide for one’s livelihood. This amount is often equal to the amount of the social assistance benefit and is determined every six months. You can find out what the social minimum is in your situation the UWV website.
For a single person with children living in the house, this is more than 1200 euros gross, which is around 1100 euros net. There will also be surcharges, but according to the National Ombudsman, people are not sure enough and fear it will be claimed.
“If you don’t take away people’s financial worries, they can hardly think for themselves: where I will work, what training I will do. So they only care about survival,” says the National Ombudsman on the current situation.
‘The bottom must rise’
He wants the government to “do what it can”. “The bottom has to go up,” he tells NRC. “What people need at a minimum should be guaranteed.”
Van Zutphen is more critical of the way the government deals with poverty. He believes that, as a result of politics, municipalities spend too much time, money and energy on income regimes and their control.
