1 July 2011

NEWS RELEASE

Red Cross Commission announces two new winter assistance grants

The Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Commission has confirmed two new winter assistance grants to help Christchurch households with school aged children 5 to 18 years and people with pre-existing medical conditions get back on their feet following the September or February earthquakes.

The new grants are extensions of the existing winter assistance grants which provide an electricity heating subsidy for significantly damaged households that meet the criteria.

Sir John Hansen Chair of the Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Commission says since the earthquakes began, people have been living in damaged homes with a reduction in insulation, amounting to a heavier reliance on relatively inefficient forms of electrical heating than in previous winters.

“The Commission sees helping the vulnerable keep warm in Christchurch this winter as a top priority,” he said.

“We are continuing to look closely at existing support to meet winter electricity and heating costs and it’s clear from our discussions that school aged children and those with pre-existing medical conditions from homes with earthquake damage are also particularly vulnerable to health related issues and need assistance.”

The grant will assist households with their electricity bills over the months of June, July, August and September. For every approved applicant the Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal will contribute $100 each month for up to four months directly to the electricity retailers.

The form and criteria for the new winter assistance grants will be available today, Friday 1 July, and the grant will close on 29 July 2011.

In June the Commission announced Winter Assistance Grant for under 5s and those over 65 living in homes with significant damage due to the recent earthquakes. The closing dates for these grants have been extended until July 15.

Over $67.8 million dollars has been raised to date in the New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal with over $48 million in grants already disbursed to over 55,500 affected Christchurch residents.

For more information on the new grants go to www.redcrosseqgrants.org.nz

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