Families who lost furniture, appliances and other objects due to the floods that devastated Rio Grande do Sul in recent weeks will be entitled to a benefit of R$5,100 granted by the federal government. The announcement was made this Wednesday (15) by the Chief Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, during a visit by the delegation led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to São Leopoldo do Sul, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre.
“The help that we verbalize today is help for people who have lost their refrigerator, their stove, their television, their furniture, their mattress. It will be certified by the Civil Defense of each municipality, that polygonal, those streets where people lost their objects. These people will have a quick and easy transfer, via Caixa Econômica Federal, to their accounts, via Pix, of R$5,100”, stated Costa.
According to the minister, the initial estimate is that the benefit will reach around 200 thousand families, at a cost of R$1.2 billion. The procedure will be self-declaratory and authorities will cross-check data to confirm whether the area where the beneficiary lives is among those affected by the floods.
The government’s announcement is part of a package of measures aimed at direct support for the population affected by the biggest environmental catastrophe in the history of Rio Grande do Sul. In total, 449 municipalities were affected. Until the last update, on Wednesday morning, 149 deaths were recorded, 108 were missing and more than 800 people were injured.
New housing
In addition to Reconstruction Aid, as the R$5,100 benefit for recovering assets was called, the federal government announced other measures for people whose homes were destroyed by rain and floods in urban areas. The number of homes lost in the state has not yet been determined.
According to the rules of the housing program, range 1 comprises families with a gross monthly family income of up to R$2,640. Range 2 covers families with income between R$2,640.01 and R$4,400.
Among the measures presented is the assisted purchase of used properties. According to Minister Rui Costa, the idea is that people who fit into the program’s income range can now look for property options for sale in their cities, which will be acquired based on an evaluation by Caixa Econômica Federal.
“Those people who are in shelter, whether it is an official shelter or are sheltering in family homes, they can now look for a property for sale in their city that the federal government, through Caixa, will buy the house and deliver to the person,” he said. the minister. The strategy for replacing houses in rural areas will be announced later by the government.
Another option is to purchase properties directly from construction companies. The government will also open new notices for Minha Casa Minha Vida based on housing deficit demand presented by the city halls themselves, including the possibility of remodeling existing properties to transform into residential areas.
FGTS and property auction
The federal government will also allow workers with a formal contract to withdraw from the Severance Indemnity Fund (FGTS), in the affected cities, up to the amount of R$6,220, regardless of the legal prohibition that limits a 12-month interval between a withdrawal and another, to allow people who withdrew the FGTS during last year’s floods, in Vale do Taquari, to access the resource in their accounts again.
It was also announced the withdrawal of properties belonging to people in default from auction, in financing through federal public banks. “We determined that all the houses that were up for auction, here in the affected cities, from Caixa and Banco do Brasil, we will remove from the auction, the federal government will pay them off and deliver them to families who need the houses”, announced the minister- civil House Chief.
Beneficiaries of unemployment insurance in Rio Grande do Sul will be entitled to two additional installments. In addition, the government granted a pause in payments on property financing for 180 days, in addition to a 180-day grace period for new contracts.
Bolsa Família
The government also reported that 21 thousand new families were included in the Bolsa Família program in Rio Grande do Sul. In addition, the aid payment installments will be brought forward in the state to the 17th.
IR refund
In another announcement, Rui Costa confirmed that the first batch of Personal Income Tax (IRPF) refunds will be paid on May 31st to all taxpayers in Rio Grande do Sul who made the declaration. The lot has a value of R$1.1 billion.
Third visit
President Lula arrived in Rio Grande do Sul in the morning, on his third visit to the state since the beginning of the tragedy. He visited a public shelter in São Leopoldo and, afterwards, met with the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite.
