Thu, 30 Jun, 2016 01:52:41 AM FTimes-STT Report, June 30 ![]() File Photo Lehtikuva. A record number of people got general housing allowance last year, said national pension insur-ance institution Kela.
An increasing number of beneficiary households had wage-earners as well.
A total of 246,000 households received the general housing allowance by the end of 2015. This number increased by 20 percent compared to the previous year.
Every fourth person receiving the benefit was a wage-earner. The number of beneficiary house-holds receiving income from wages rose by over a third from the previous year.
Still, the vast majority equivalent to 62 percent, were unemployed. Some 69 percent of those re-ceiving the general housing allowance were people who live alone.
According to Kela, the growth was affected by a legislative amendment entering into force at the beginning of 2015, which allowed the housing benefit to go to households with higher earnings, especially households with children.
In addition, long-term unemployment has also increased.
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