Objectives:

to assist persons who are unable to secure by their own efforts adequate resources to meet their basic necessities of life;

to strengthen and develop social solidarity in hardship;

to assist with the social inclusion of social welfare and social services' beneficiaries;

to assist the gainful employment of unemployed persons eligible for receipt of monthly social assistance benefits;

to encourage entrepreneurship in the social sphere by making it possible for natural and legal persons to provide social services.

Social assistance shall be provided by means of:

making cash and/or in-kind benefits available for meeting basic necessities of life to persons who are unable to meet them by working or through property in their ownership;

delivering social services.

Characteristics of the social assistance users:

Entitlement to social assistance benefits shall accrue to Bulgarian citizens, families and cohabitees who, due to health, age, social and other reasons beyond their control, are unable to meet their basic necessities of life on their own through their own work or on income accruing from property they own, or with the help of the persons whose obligation under article 140 of the Family Code is to provide for their basic necessities of life.

The social assistanceentitlements also accrue to foreign nationals who have a long term or permanent residence permit in the Republic of Bulgaria, foreign nationals who received asylum, refugee status or humanitarian status, and foreign nationals who were granted temporary protection, as well as individuals who are provided for in an international treaty that the Republic of Bulgaria is signatory to.