With the end of emergency aid, families live in uncertainty about Brazil Aid

The end of emergency aid and the uncertainties linked to the start of the Auxilio Brasil — whose government promise to pay R$ 400 per family is not expected to be fulfilled at least this November — are causing thousands of families to live without knowing whether will have some income to be able to close the month’s accounts.

In the city of São Paulo alone, the City of São Paulo says that at least 114,000 families are waiting to be included in the CadÚnico in order to be entitled to Auxílio Brasil, which will replace Bolsa Família from Wednesday (17th). That’s because, since April, when the 2021 emergency aid began to be paid, the Ministry of Citizenship suspended the inclusion of new beneficiaries.

The federal government ensures that all people who already received Bolsa Família and have updated CadÚnico data will automatically be part of the new program, totaling 14.65 million families in this first month of the program.

In December, Cidadania estimates that Auxílio Brasil will be paid to 17 million families, with the inclusion of new beneficiaries. However, even with the promise of the Jair Bolsonaro administration (no party), citizens who received emergency aid but never had access to Bolsa Família still do not know if they will be entitled to the new cash transfer program. This is because there is no open enrollment for the benefit.

This is the case of Laryssa da Conceição Silva, 25, resident of Paraisópolis (South Zone). To support her two-year-old daughter and six-year-old son, she does odd jobs. Despite being eligible for emergency aid, the family managed to receive it only in 2020 — first, in the amount of R$ 1,200, and later, of R$ 600.

​”I depend a lot on the help of people and my mother, especially with the children. And, when I can, I do odd jobs”, he tells Now.

Laryssa reports that she has been trying to register for Bolsa Família since the birth of her eldest son, however, she has never succeeded. “The request does not leave analysis”, he says. She says she is going to try Auxílio Brasil, however, precisely because of this experience, she has no expectation of getting help.

Unemployed, Eduardo Carrilho Vital, 47, from Casa Verde (north zone), lives with his father, who is retired. He received emergency aid in 2020 and this year, the installments of which were R$ 150. The worker says that he even downloaded the Auxílio Brasil application. However, he did not get any clarification as to whether he will be able to take part.

Last year, the Now he had already told the case of Vital. He faced difficulties in enrolling in the emergency program and was unable to receive all the installments, in the amount of R$600, because the request was denied three times.

“Will I have the right to receive Brazil Aid while I don’t return to the market? It’s a fact that the market will improve, but a little bit [de dinheiro] help until I get back to work. I’m worried because they said they’re going to pass a sieve and I don’t think I’ll get paid,” he says.

Vital says that his father’s retirement is not being enough to pay the monthly bills, even more so at the moment, with the increase in basic items such as food and electricity.

According to the IPCA (Broad Consumer Price Index), the price of food has risen by 11.7% in 12 months, while spending on housing, which includes electricity and rent, for example, rose by 14.8% in the period .

Rosemeire de Oliveira Lopes, 40, from São Miguel Paulista (eastern zone), is in a similar situation. In the pandemic, income was compromised, as her husband, who is self-employed, was unable to work. With the couple, their 19-year-old son also lives.

The family received R$250 in this round of emergency aid in 2021. Even so, they faced problems in enrolling and only got three of the seven installments released by the government. “It was a mess, they said I didn’t have the right, but the next month I could,” says Rosemeire, who says she has no idea if she’s going to get Brazil Aid.

“Our situation was difficult, the aid [emergencial] just gave a helping hand. My husband is self-employed, not registered [registrado] and it became much more difficult [na pandemia]. So, help helped us. But, now, we are going to continue as before, in a very difficult situation, really difficult”, he says.

ME, who asked not to be identified, 65, from Mauá (Greater SP), is also suffering from the uncertainty of income going forward. Unemployed for years, she works informally selling dish towels around the city and was receiving R$150 in emergency aid.

“I used to work with my husband, but I got divorced and I was doing odd jobs. In the pandemic, I had to stop and I have help from my daughter to pay the electricity and water bills and other things. Now they had a baby, so she stayed more complicated,” he reports.

The unemployed woman claims to already be enrolled in the CadÚnico, however, she has never received the Bolsa Família. “I don’t even want to imagine what it’s going to look like [a situação] because I don’t even know if I’m going to be entitled to the new aid,” he says.