Tobago Division of Health gives out $232,000 in rental assistance

The Tobago House of Assembly spent more than $232,000 to help families that have fallen on hard times owing to the covid19 pandemic.

The Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development said in a statement on Tuesday the final batch of cheques from its latest tranche of rental assistance was given out last Friday and on Monday in Scarborough.

The division said it has been assisting thousands of Tobagonians with programmes of psychosocial care and financial assistance for food and rent, loans and grants for businesses during the pandemic.

It said it has also helped co-ordinate central government salary-relief packages for Tobago.

The division said the 35 families who received rental assistance over the period “can rest a little easier now as the economy reopens and re-employment gets a jump start for thousands of Tobagonians.”

It said last month several of its officials pleaded with landlords to be sympathetic to struggling families as cheques were being prepared to cover rental assistance.

The division said the assistance can be given up to three months in any one instance, for a maximum of $2,500 a month

In the statement, line secretary Tracy Davidson-Celestine urged Tobagonians to “get creative and consider owning and opening your own business as an option too.”

She added the division can provide guidance, grants and loans.

“These are different times and we need to do things differently,” Davidson-Celestine said.