Minister of Social Services Frankie Campbell announced on Monday that the Ministry of Social Services will be reviewing its budget. 

Campbell maintained that the budget will not impact housing and uniform assistance for displaced residents. 

“During the budget, we’ve found that personal emoluments would have been set aside for persons who are no longer there.  These personal emoluments would have been moved,” Campbell said. 

“Nothing else was decreased in the budget as it relates to social services.  Mindful of the aftermath of Dorian we now have to review those very same services that we would’ve been giving because we now realize that the numbers will increase.” 

He could not provide a solid figure, but Campbell could confirm the number of missing persons have gone down as more persons are being reunited.  He added that the number persons in the shelters have reduced. 

The ministry wants to help those displaced by Hurricane Dorian by helping with cleaning and the restoration of Abaco and Grand Bahama. 

That’s why, according to Campbell, assessments are being done.

“The assessments are geared towards identifying persons who, based minimal damage of their own houses equipped with small assistance, go back to their houses and start to seek some form of normalcy and then the second stage will be persons who need greater assistance be it labour etc. The central government has set aside arrangements to cause those things to happen while we continue to work with our international partners for the longer term,” Campbell said.