Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar.

More than 23,000 households will be assisted through the Poverty Benefit Scheme in this financial year.

Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar says anyone can apply for this assistance, however, it’s the assessment process that determines whether one will be eligible to receive it.

She says evidence gathering is undertaken through home visits and is a compulsory component of the application process.

The allowances per household will depend on the number of dependents and case by case assessments with the $50 food voucher remaining the same and complementary to the cash allowances.

She says the scheme will ensure that a maximum of four members in a household are assisted.

The Government had allocated $36m for the scheme.