Rules in place for Shanghai's social assistance system

Shanghai has come up with regulations on the social assistance system to provide support to needy people covering medical, education, housing and employment, the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau announced on Sunday.

The regulations will come into effect on May 1.

These include families on subsistence allowance or with low income, or those suffering from poverty due to factors such as serious diseases, accidents and natural disaster victims who have been covered under the city's social relief system.

The number of needy people is decreasing every year. It was 192,500 earlier this year, compared with 194,900 last year and 204,500 in 2017. The financial support delivered to them totaled 2.77 billion yuan (US$400 million) and 2.52 billion yuan last year and in 2017, respectively.

The target is to make the increase of the lowest subsistence allowance standard higher than the rise of per capita disposable income of city residents, said Zhu.

At present, the city’s minimum subsistence allowance standard is 1,160 yuan.

Since 2016, the average increase of the per capita disposable income of the locals was 7.1 percent every year, while the average increase of the minimum subsistence allowance was 8.8 percent every year, according to the bureau.

For households on subsistence allowance, the regulations state that measures should be taken to ensure that at least one member of the family has a job.

“A joint mechanism of employment and social relief will be established under the regulations to avoid over-reliance on the system,” said Zhu.

An electronic review system based on shared information and data analysis of various government departments and working units have been established to check the financial situation of applicants and ensure fair use of social relief, he said.

About 2.67 million households in the city have been reviewed under the system, and about 367,000 families did not meet the necessary criteria, the bureau said.

The regulations state that social relief will be suspended if members from families on subsistence allowances who have labor ability refuse to take up jobs for three times.

Fabrication of materials and refusal to allow income and assets examination will also lead to their suspension from the system, said Zhu.

The regulations will improve the application and review the process, making it more efficient. It also encourages enterprises, social organizations and volunteers to participate in a social cause.

In Daning Road Subdistrict in Jing'an District, several projects for needy people have been carried out.

These include not only financial support but emotional support for needy families, and helping them integrate into the community, said Zhu Hui, deputy director of the Daning Road Subdistrict.

In one of the families, a man has been battling with cervical spondylosis, while his wife suffers serious mental disorder. Their child has also been diagnosed with mental issues. The subdistrict moved in by providing not only assistance based on policies, but also helping train their child in self-help and in communication skills. The family's housing environment has also been improved. A newly built platform helps the child learn painting. 

In addition, 173 charity supermarkets have been established citywide since 2003, which help the needy, the elderly and the disabled.

Some of these supermarkets are operated by social organizations and enterprises, the bureau said.

This year, charity supermarkets will be set up in all 105 subdistricts, 107 towns and two villages in the city, the bureau said.