Up to 1.5 million shekels per authority: The new plan for northern residents

Three additional local authorities in the north are joining a welfare assistance program worth millions of shekels, under which each authority will be allocated between one and one and a half million shekels over two years. The program, operating in partnership with the 'Tenufa' Directorate for the North and the Ministry of Welfare, includes a renewed mapping of residents' needs following the war, proactive identification of families requiring assistance, strengthening of welfare department personnel, and development of new services.

Three additional local authorities in northern Israel are joining a new welfare assistance program, under which each authority will be allocated between one and one and a half million shekels over two years. The program, operating in partnership with the 'Tenufa' Directorate for the North, the Northern District of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security, the Joint Distribution Committee of Israel, and the local authorities, was piloted in seven authorities: Shlomi, Ma'ale Yosef, Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Safed, Deir al-Asad, and Hurfeish. With the addition of the three new authorities, the number of participating authorities will rise to ten. The program aims to address the changes that have occurred in the population following the war, including prolonged evacuation and return to communities that have created new needs. The authorities are required to conduct a renewed mapping of the population and residents' needs, alongside proactive identification of families in need of assistance. A central part of the budget is designated for strengthening the personnel and professional capabilities of welfare departments, and each authority will integrate a community resilience coordinator into its management team. Within about six months of the pilot's start, the participating authorities began developing new services, including a warm home for girls, a center for treating domestic violence, programs for Holocaust survivors, a coffee cart for senior citizens, and a digital system for scheduling appointments. The expansion of the program is part of the welfare chapter of the five-year plan for the north for the years 2026–2030, with a total scope of approximately 340 million shekels.