With the economy going haywire, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with your current situation, and if you’ve just lost employment or another form of income, you’re in for a world of trouble.
It’s completely natural to panic at this point, although there are more than a few reasons not to, one being that there are assistance options out there that you could use to get your finances back in order.
Being without a dollar to your name can be tough, and it’s even worse if you’ve got a family to feed and bills to pay, which is where government grants come in.
Ranging from covering utility bills to helping afford medical expenses, government-funded grants can be helpful to people from all walks of life, and all you’ve got to do is submit your application.
The main issue lies in the fact that so many Americans aren’t even aware that these options are available to them, and it’s why they continue struggling despite help being readily available.
Benefits.gov
With the use of this website, you’ll be able to find all of the assistance opportunities that the federal government has to offer, and by using their benefit finder, you can look for the options that are best suited for your current needs.
To use this search tool, you’ll first have to submit data by answering a series of questions regarding your current financial situation, and if you answer each question truthfully, the tool will find the right benefits for you.
Sometimes, you may be eligible for multiple programs, and it’ll be up to you to examine all of them and deduce which one may be the most helpful to your current situation, which you can also use to narrow down the number of choices that the site presents you with.
Once you’ve inputted all the important info, benefits.gov can redirect you to an assistance program’s official website, where you’ll be able to learn more about how you can apply, what the benefits are, as well as some extra info on the program itself.
LIHEAP
Through this assistance program, low-income Americans are offered help when it comes to paying their utility bills, as well as funding for certain repairs on the home that may improve the overall quality of living.
It’s no secret that faulty heating/cooling systems can bring about a number of health issues and safety risks with them, and the LIHEAP program aims to lower the amount of risk every household is exposed to.
It’s important to note that this federal program is completely free, and even if you run into people trying to charge you for some of the services they offer, make sure to decline their advances, as it’s more than likely a scam.
For eligibility to LIHEAP, you must first either be a US citizen or a qualifying alien, with your total monthly income sitting well below the current poverty line for your area.
However, if you’re already receiving support through another option like SNAP, SSI, or TANF, you’ll immediately qualify for LIHEAP as well.
Before applying, you’ll want to gather a series of personal identification and documents, including your proof of residency, ID card, driver’s license (if you’ve got one), school record, and several other papers.
Unemployment assistance
Losing your only source of income can be devastating, and if you haven’t been actively saving money, you may find yourself in a pinch, as you may end up not having enough money to sustain yourself for long enough.
Because of this, the federal government offers unemployment compensation to help you keep the lights on while you’re looking for employment, with the total amount being determined by your earnings from the previous job as well as the state you’re applying in.
You can receive this money every week for up to 3 and a half months, and while the main requirement is becoming unemployed, the program does have a set of other requirements for you to adhere to.
One of the major ones is losing employment for reasons that weren’t in your control, and if you wish to continue receiving unemployment assistance, you must also be actively on the lookout for a new job opportunity.
Ideally, you’ll want to file for this assistance option the moment you’ve lost your employment, although you’ve got a 21-day window to do so.
Final word
The federal government offers a number of options to needy Americans, and while a large majority of this assistance has to be paid back, government grants are considered to be more like a gift.
The party on the receiving end doesn’t have to repay a single dollar as long as they’re within the limitations of the contract, which becomes void if the agreement on how the money can be spent is breached.
If your application is accepted, you will be notified within 3 weeks, and the lender will help you decide where you’ll be depositing the funds you receive.