A 1 billion euro fund to help people in poverty and social exclusion

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would create an Emergency Fund against Poverty and Social Exclusion worth 1 billion euros, to strengthen direct aid to people in poverty and help pay for the regional governments' minimum insertion incomes.
2. The money would be split in three parts: 400 million for municipal social services, 400 million for the autonomous communities to top up minimum insertion incomes, and 200 million for NGOs and third sector entities through grants.
3. Fundable programs would include food and housing cost aid (electricity, gas, water, heating), school meal grants and school supplies, job search programs, home help, and last resort shelters such as hostels and reception centers.
4. The Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality would set the criteria for distributing the money, and would have to do so within one month. Before that, it would hear the autonomous communities, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, and the State Council of Social Action NGOs.
5. The credits would be financed with public debt, and money not spent in 2013 could be carried over to the next year. The NGO grants would have to be announced within two months of the law taking effect, which would be the day it is published in the Official State Gazette.
6. According to the explanatory statement, the Fund would create or maintain 30,000 jobs, benefit more than 500,000 families, and add more than 83,000 people to the recipients of minimum insertion incomes.

Who it affects

• People in poverty or at risk of social exclusion: They would receive direct aid for food, housing, education, employment or shelter.
• Municipal governments: They would have 400 million euros for their basic social services.
• Autonomous communities (Spain's regional governments): They would receive 400 million euros to top up minimum insertion incomes.
• NGOs and third sector entities: They could apply for grants from a total of 200 million euros.

Words worth knowing

Rentas mínimas de inserción (minimum insertion income)

Cash benefits paid by Spain's regional governments to people or families without enough income to live on.

Tercer sector (third sector)

Nonprofit organizations, such as NGOs, devoted to social causes.

Crédito extraordinario (extraordinary credit)

Extra money added to the state budget to pay for a new expense.

Proposición de ley (bill)

A text in the form of a law introduced by a parliamentary group, but not yet passed or in force.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries