– Nav employees accompany people to the Salvation Army

– We have spoken to people who have simply been followed from Nav to the Salvation Army by Nav employees, says general manager Tone Fløtten in Fafo to TV 2.

Fafos examination was done in Oslo, Drammen and Sarpsborg in November 2022; it surveys the people who seek out the Salvation Army to get food on the table, and how they experience seeking this type of help.

From employees and customers at The Salvation Armythere are also descriptions of a Hub that refers financially stressed clients on to voluntary organisations.

The fleet clarifies that Fafo has not investigated how common this is, or in which situations it occurs.

But:

– One should definitely look into that in order to understand when, and why, the public sector cannot provide enough help, she says.

The report is commissioned by the Salvation Army; the interest organization has experienced a sharp increase in the number of people asking for help in recent years.

The new findings surprise the Fafo boss.

Striking discovery

The majority of those who ask for help to put food on the table have children. A third are single.

– I think it was surprising that over half of those who ask for food have children. But also the fact that so many of the Salvation Army’s guests receive a lasting allowance from Nav, says Fløtten about the findings.

The vast majority, actually 84 per cent, receive one or more benefits from Nav: Four out of ten recipients go on social assistance. Four out of ten receive permanent benefits such as pension and disability. While one in ten has a connection to working life.

– We believe that the benefit levels must be discussed. Both what the benefit level should be at in normal times, but also when it is expensive – as it is now, says Fløtten.

Someone who shares that reasoning is Rødt’s Mímir Kristjánsson.

– For example, the report shows, among other things, that more than half of those who request food assistance from the Salvation Army have children. But if child benefit is increased, many will be able to buy food on their own, he says.

Code red

– This is not the first time that the warning lights have rung, as I see it, says Kristjánsson.

It is demonstrably more expensive to live in Norway during the day. If you live and eat, you are hit by sky-high electricity prices and uncertain food prices.

In addition, the rise in prices is expressed in more expensive fuel, increased interest rates and increased prices in general. The price increase in 2022 hit Norwegian households hard.

Kristjánsson characterizes the situation of large parts of the population in Norway as “code red”, and calls for stronger lye from the government.

– What we are asking is for the government to show leadership. That they drum together the parties that sit in the Storting, so that we can jointly find actual solutions to the problems.

– But the government has of course increased some benefits for some groups, such as an increased minimum pension for single minimum pensioners. How much, says Rødt, can one give, and how quickly can the money be distributed?

– Yes, some money has been given, but it is only a pittance with the prices we have now. And I think we have to spend a lot more money than we have done so far, if we are to overcome this poverty problem.

– I am also not going to claim that it will not take a few months to get a permanent increase in place. But the pace at which the government works is a snail’s pace from another world.

Prioritize work

Minister of State Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap) in the Ministry of Labor and Inclusion has submitted the criticism to Kristjánsson.

She does not have the opportunity to be interviewed about Fafo’s findings on Wednesday evening. But in a written response, Persen says:

“When we see that there are far more people who seek out the food distribution than before, it is a sign that not everyone is able to live on the income they have. It shouldn’t be like that. I am glad that we have received this report, because we need a good factual basis to create schemes that are effective. »

Persen goes on to say that the government has already introduced a number of crisis packages. Among other things, electricity support and an increased minimum pension for single people. Child benefit will also increase on 1 March, she says.

But the priority is to get people into permanent employment. This despite the fact that the Fafo boss says that a proportion of those who seek out the Salvation Army receive permanent benefits, which means that they do not have the opportunity to work full-time.

“Many of those who have it the hardest are outside the working world. That is why the government prioritizes getting people into work and keeping people in work. In addition, it is important that the welfare system is broad-based,” says the correspondence from the Minister of Labour.

Will not replace Nav

– We want to be a supplement to Nav, but we are not meant to replace Nav. We would like to have a closer collaboration and act as a bridge builder, but Nav must not use us as a rest pillow, says assistant social manager in the Salvation Army, Elin Herikstad.

The Salvation Army also received feedback that people have been told to sell their houses and cars in order not to receive a reduction in social assistance.

Following the survey, the Ministry of Employment and Inclusion issued a guide to the Nav offices, which lays out a more generous practice.

– We are keeping a close eye on how Nav relates to its duty to provide emergency assistance. We also see that Nav operates with very limited opening hours in several municipalities. The report shows that NAV refers many people to us, so it is crucial going forward to find a good balance, says Herikstad.