11 million citizens need help

With rising inflation and falling purchasing power, the number of citizens needing assistance is increasing day by day. Although the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Vedat Işıkhan, stated in his statement this week that “there are no people living on the line of extreme poverty or hunger”, according to data from the Ministry of Family and Social Services, 11 million 370 Thousand of people need help throughout the country. In other words, 13.3 percent of the Turkish population receives state help to manage their lives. There are 3.7 million households in Turkey suffering from poverty and whose monthly per capita income is 450 TL or less. These homes receive support from the Ministry of Family and Social Services by being included in the Family Support Program.

DOUBLED IN 4 YEARS

The number of homes within this area, which was 690 thousand in 2019, approached 4 million in 4 years. Electricity bill assistance provided by the Ministry to poor citizens increased from 1 million 343 thousand in 2019 to 3 million 685 thousand in the first 10 months of 2023. Family and social services in 2022
The Ministry spent 62 thousand 742 million 374 thousand 899 Turkish liras for the fight against poverty and social assistance. In this context, the appropriation for 2023 was increased to 91 thousand 582 million TL. The number of children benefiting from the financial support provided by the Ministry to the children of those who cannot be cared for by their families and who have difficulty maintaining their lives, even at a low level, has also increased. While 129,422 children benefited from this support in 2020, so far in 2023, 170,000 children have been supported.

THERE ARE 36 APPLICATION CENTERS

Poverty is felt more in big cities. ABB provides social support to families living within the borders of Ankara province who are experiencing hunger and poverty. ABB meets the basic needs of citizens with economic difficulties such as food, cleaning materials, fuel, bread, education (boots, coats, bags, stationery). The number of social assistance application centers in the capital, which was previously four, increased to 36 in four years.

It reached 203 thousand homes

When Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Mayor Mansur Yavaş first took office, he said: “No one will go to bed hungry in the capital, we will not leave anyone hungry or homeless in Ankara.” . As a result of Yavaş’s initiative, the number of people who benefited from social assistance due to poverty in 2019 reached 130 thousand. This figure reached 203 thousand in 4 years. The number of aids increased further during the pandemic period.