Supplementary or preventive social assistance
- Service
- Helsinki
- Public service
In addition to that, municipalities can also grant preventive and supplementary social assistance. The purpose of preventive social assistance is to prevent marginalisation and long-term reliance on social support. Supplementary social assistance may be granted to individuals with special needs, such as severe illness or a prolonged requirement for social assistance.
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Background information
A person can apply for supplementary or preventive social assistance from their region’s social welfare services after they have received a decision on basic social assistance from Kela. The application can be submitted to Kela while applying for basic social assistance. The decision on social assistance will be issued within seven working days at the latest. If the situation is urgent, the decision can be issued on the following working day after the submission of the application.
The purpose of the assistance is to secure the person’s livelihood and promote their ability to cope independently. Assistance can also be granted for special or exceptional situations, such as for the costs arising from the birth of a child or burial of a loved one.
Preventive assistance is available for reasons that can be considered necessary for improving a person’s situation in life. For example, assistance can be granted to alleviate the difficulties caused by over-indebtedness or a sudden deterioration in the person’s financial situation.