Up to $3,000 in Emergency Relief for Families

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If your stimulus check wasn’t enough and you’re still in need of money, I’ve got three ways your family can get thousands more in federal assistance that are not loans and are still available.

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I’m not going to cover what you’ve already heard. Stimulus checks are on their way, you can watch my video on that to figure out how to spend it. 

A lot of government aid has dried up. EIDL grant applications are currently shut down, Paycheck protection program is back but that’s only good if you own a small business with employees. 

I’m also not going to talk about the next stimulus package. It hasn’t passed so we don’t know what to expect. As soon as it does pass, and some form of it will, I’ll do a video on it. But I believe you can expect more food assistance and not the $2,000 a month everyone’s been telling you about.

Today I’m talking about the government aid that is still available, still accepting applications, and the programs have loosened their eligibility standards.

The numbers and eligibility are guides. This information is taken from government websites but many eligibility requirements are being relaxed on a state-by-state and case-by-case basis so if you believe you’re eligible for any of this assistance you need to apply to determine what you’re eligible for, do not rely on these numbers. 

It’s not fact, but it is evidence-based.

1. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

TANF provides cash assistance to families with children when the parents or caretakers can’t provide basic needs. There are minimum work requirements limits to how much you can own in assets but states are granting good cause exemptions on a case by case basis.

The income limit is typically 185% of the Federal poverty guidelines which is currently $40,182 for a family of three and $48,470 for a family of four.

According to a press release to state agencies: “A state or tribe could assist needy families in which parents are unable to work due to contracting the disease, exposure to someone with the disease, because their children’s school or child care provider has closed, or because their own work place has closed.”

”States and tribes may consider expanding their services and broadening their eligibility criteria. One particularly useful option in an emergency or time of crisis is a non-recurrent, short-term benefit (NRST). A NRST: (1) is designed to deal with a specific crisis situation or episode of need; (2) is not intended to meet recurrent or ongoing needs; and (3) will not extend beyond four months. 45 CFR §§ 260.31(b); 286.10(b). A state or tribe has the flexibility to set a higher income standard for an NRST than for regular TANF cash assistance. For example, a state or tribe could provide benefits to impacted families with incomes up to 200 percent of poverty. An NRST payment could help a family that is without income due to COVID-19 meet basic needs.”

There’s $3.6 billion in unobligated TANF money sitting in the US treasury that can be used as NRST payments. That doesn’t mean every state will use it that way or even that all states have unobligated funds. New York state and Pennsylvania have half a billion each available while Vermont and California have $0. But everything can change right now so it’s worth looking into.

Now how much can you expect to receive? That’s very subjective but according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute when Georgia deployed NRST benefits during the 2008 financial crisis it provided families with up to $3,000. And qualified families with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty guidelines.

2. Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

The CCDF provides assistance to low-income families who need child care due to work. First, if you are an essential worker and your child is out of school, any states are offering financial aid for child care for several months. So regardless of other eligibility requirements, apply and get what you’re eligible for.

For everyone else, as non-essential businesses begin to reopen and you need help with child care, the CCDF can help. If you qualify for TANF you also qualify for CCDF. Childcare vouchers can offset the cost of child care. Every state is different but the program can cover up to 98% of child care costs and if you have a few kids in daycare that can be thousands of dollars in assistance.

3. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) 

LIHEAP assists low-income households with their heating and cooling energy costs, bill payment assistance, energy crisis assistance, weatherization, and energy-related home repairs.

If you qualify for TANF or another benefits program you’re usually automatically eligible for LIHEAP but you can still be eligible even if you’re not.

The annual income limit for a family of three to qualify is $31,995 and for a family of four is $38,625. States have been given permission to adjust eligibility requirements on a case-to-case basis.

If you qualify you can expect to get the cost of your energy bill covered and possibly some upgrades that make your home more energy-efficient and lower your utility bills.