Number of disadvantaged households rises 27%: MOI

The government provided NT$228.9 million (US$7.2 million) to disadvantaged families from January to June, up 20 percent from the same period last year.

The ministry said that the number of hardship families increased because of an amendment last year that made single fathers and those families in which grandparents raise their grandchildren eligible for government subsidies and allowances.

The number of male parents applying for government help increased nearly 118.6 percent in the six-month period, compared to a 20.7 percent rise for female parents.

Female applicants still accounted for nearly 89.6 percent of the total applicants, the ministry said.

The Act for Assisting Families in Hardship — originally aimed mostly at taking care of women — was first implemented in March 2008. It was amended last year to include eligible single fathers, grandparents, and people under the age of 65 whose spouse has died.

The amendment also increased education subsidies for households with children in college and lifted some restrictions to allow more victims of domestic violence to receive start-up loans.

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