Presentation of the book, entitled: “Why poor people do not apply for family allowance,” took place on March 30 in Yerevan. The book is created on the basis of researches conducted by focus groups in eight communities of Armenia. Representatives of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Consultative Center of Social and Economic Researches, National Center of Small and Medium Business Development in Armenia foundation presented the problems covered in the book.
Nairuhi Jrbashyan, a member of the Consultative Center of Social and Economic Researches said that the system of family benefits is one of the largest programs of the state’s social security, aimed at decreasing the poverty level. However, 60% of poor people and 40% of extremely poor people, due to various reasons, do not apply to social security services for benefits.
She voiced basic reasons, for which people do not apply to social security services: distrust for system, sense of unfairness, certainty that they will not meet criteria stipulated, as well as sense of shame for receiving a benefit. However, according to Nairuhi Jrbashyan, 92% of extremely poor people and 80% of poor people, applying for the benefit, receive it.
According to her, however, there are indirect reasons for such attitude: low level of awareness, corruption in social services, etc.
Nairuhi Jrbashyan noted that due to family benefits the level of extreme poverty decreased by 5.5 times from 1999 to 2000, while the level of poverty – by 2.5 times. However, a quarter of Armenia’s population was below the poverty line in 2008.
