Karidat welfare aid declines in 6 years

The number of immigrants in the CNMI receiving assistance from Karidat has declined in the last six years.

Records from Karidat showed that from an average of 400 welfare families from 1998 to 2001, the number dropped to just over 200 in 2003.

In a report to Gov. Juan N. Babauta, Karidat executive director Angie Guerrero said that the non-profit organization provided food and shelter assistance to 455 families in 1998, 482 families in 1999, 329 in 2000, 397 in 2001, 370 in 2002, and 280 last year.

These families are immigrants from the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau.

“Many of these people are unskilled and have been unable to secure permanent employment. Due to this economic predicament, they have resorted to Karidat for food and shelter assistance as their only source of relief,” Guerrero said.

She noted that some of these individuals “have been totally dependent on Karidat for their food supply.”

Guerrero raised the point in connection with her request to the governor to give Karidat a portion of the Compact Impact funds to assist these individuals. The CNMI government expects to receive some $5 million each year beginning this year in Compact Impact funds. This fund is given by the Department of the Interior to the CNMI and other insular areas to help them cope with the impact of migration from Pacific island states.

“Due to limited funds or food supply, we have on several occasions denied their request for food. This is really painful, especially when there are children involved. I am humbly requesting for your kind and compassionate consideration in awarding a small portion of the Compact aid funds to Karidat,” said Guerrero when she first made the request in a Jan. 27, 2004 letter to Babauta.

She said that Karidat has discussed this issue with DOI deputy assistant secretary David Cohen during a visit last year.

In a follow-up letter dated Oct. 13, 2004, Guerrero said: “It has been nine months now and we have not heard any word from your good office. I would appreciate if you can inform me if Karidat stands a chance to be a recipient of such funding.”

In response, Babauta indicated in a Nov. 3 letter to Guerrero that Compact funds are better invested in education, health, and other basic infrastructure and institutions “that all our people can use and enjoy.”

Babauta took note that Karidat’s data showed “a trend we should want to encourage.”

“The data you have presented indicates that over the past six years there is a steady decline in the number of immigrants receiving welfare assistance from Karidat. This is a trend we should want to encourage,” he said.

He said that one of the new conditions under which the CNMI receives Compact funding “is the requirement that we demonstrate improved outcomes.”

In the case of welfare payments such as those Karidat provides, he said, “there might be some concern that increases in funding would lead to the adverse outcome of more immigrants coming to the CNMI because of the availability of this form of welfare support.”

Previously, Babauta said, Compact Impact have been used to benefit all people in the CNMI, and not just a select group of immigrants.

“I believe that we should continue this practice by investing the grants in education and health and other infrastructure and institutions that all our people can use and enjoy,” he said.