Amsterdam minima with baby get gift

SP alderman Arjan Vliegenthart's young parents pampered. With a so-called babybon to impoverished parents of the youngest Amsterdammers still buy this year clothing or toys for their child.

pulls the municipality 20 euros for each babybon. Possibly this sum is increased by a contribution from the stores where the coupon can be cashed.

Older children
Vliegenthart expands its child package, which allows parents to 120 percent of the social minimum earning receive a financial helping hand, even for older kids.

Thus speelgoedbon is also available for children 3 years, rather than just for children between 4 and 9 years, as is currently the case. For these bon pulls the municipality 20 euros and Intertoys, the store where the coupon can be redeemed, 3 euros.

Children between 10 and 14 years old receive a voucher for clothing. Thus they can buy for 183 euros clothes at H & M or Coolcat. The municipality pays lay 150, stores per ticket 33 euros.

1.6 million
The municipality reserves totaling 1.6 million euros for the arrangements. According Vliegenthart work vouchers good because the money so almost certainly end up with the group for whom it is intended: the children.

In Amsterdam grows 20 percent of children in families living below the minimum. A study of the impact of the child arrangements shows that parents are very happy with the perquisites of Vliegenthart. They assess poverty schemes of the municipality with a 8.8.

Also Intertoys and H & M are satisfied with the cooperation with the municipality, but they sometimes feel treated unfairly. "The municipality suggests that commercial parties still make a lot of profit, including for example a Child Package. There is too easily imagined," is in the evaluation of last year.

Support minimums
The toys and clothing vouchers for children of poor parents are one of the many ways in which minima are supported in Amsterdam.

People with a tight budget can also lay claim to include free laptops, museum tickets, public transport and a consultation with the vet. Furthermore, there is a white goods scheme: an emergency for Amsterdammers whose washing machine, refrigerator or stove break.

Not on
Last year found that some of the money earmarked Vliegenthart had not gone on to support minimums. Of the available 90 million was 9 million left on the shelf. It was then announced to better draw attention to the different schemes.

Earlier this year showed that 6 million that was intended to help vulnerable Amsterdammers at work was not published. The council had allocated 9.25 million for 2015. Of this, spent only 3.5 million.

By: JAN Roelf DUNE / Het Parool Photo: Reuters