St. Kitts and Nevis opens LIFT portal tomorrow, aims to support low-income families

St. Kitts and Nevis: The portal of the Livelihood Improvement Family Transformation – LIFT Programme is all set to open for new applicants tomorrow. This newly launched programme will assist the citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis earning less than EC$2500 in monthly gross income. The Ministry of Social Development is calling out the citizens to fill out the forms online as soon as possible so that they can enroll under the LIFT Programme, which is replacing the Poverty Alleviation Program (PAP).

“Kindly see the information below on the LIFT Programme, and note that the Portal at lift.gov.kn opens on Monday, June 17 from 9:00 am for new applicants,” outlined the Ministry.

According to the information, people who earn less than EC$2500 in monthly gross income and who are not active recipients of food voucher assistance can apply for LIFT. The beneficiaries will get a monthly cash deposit of $250-$600. The duration of the deposit will be nine to 18 months, and it will be continued for certain groups.

The Ministry also announced that there are several documents required to submit while applying for the programme. These include photo of social security card, payslips of all employed and self employed persons in the family, proof of address (photo of a utility bill, lease agreement or voters ID card with current address) and birth certificate/passport for all children under the age of 18. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development, Azilla Clarke presented the operational framework of the programme during a press conference last week. She noted that the LIFT SKN Programme’s application process will start a new phase on June 17, 2024, and will provide ongoing access for new applicants. She also highlighted that this programme will prioritize support for single parents, unemployed families as well as persons with disabilities based on their income. The beneficiaries will get support for almost 24 months with possibility of extensions for exceptional cases.