You’ve Been Saving Your Money All Wrong
“Our new Household Support Fund will provide a lifeline for those at risk of struggling to keep up with their bills over the winter, adding to the support the government is already providing to help people with the cost of living.”
It comes as the £20 uplift to Universal Credit is axed this week, leaving cash-strapped households worried about how to get by.
The cut will push 2.3million people into debt after paying their bills, according to research from Citizens Advice.
Plus, the government’s flagship furlough scheme comes to an end today, leaving a million workers concerned about their finances once the help is axed.
That’s on top of rising energy bills, set to jump by a record £139 from October from £1,138 to £1,277, when Ofgem raises the price cap in a further blow to family finances.
The price cap means the amount that households on default tariffs pay for their gas and electricity is limited.
But a string of energy supplier collapses could mean that millions of customers face paying £400 more to new suppliers taking over their contracts this winter.
Experts have said that the new fund won’t be enough to plug the gap as major government help schemes end.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation deputy director Helen Barnard said: “The Household Support Fund is an 11th hour attempt to save face as the Government presses ahead with an unprecedented overnight cut to Universal Credit next week.
One mum says she is scared to turn the heating on as the Universal Credit cut looms.
Applying For Personal Grants From The Government
The government focuses its grant-giving energies on certain classes of individuals. For example, veterans and single mothers have better odds of getting a personal grant than young single men with no children and no record of military service. Still, you shouldnt let fear of rejection keep you from applying for the funds you need.
Lets talk about how to apply for personal grants. Go to benefits.gov and youll be able to start searching for grants and benefits for which you might be eligible. Search all categories or choose one of the following categories:
- Child Care/Child Support
- Military: Active Duty and Veterans
- Social Security/Retirement
- Tax Assistance
- Volunteer Opportunities
Whether you need help making rent, tackling student loans or paying your medical bills, the government may have a grant for you. Benefits.gov will take you through a quick on-boarding process. The site will prompt you to answer questions about personal details such as your income, marital status, age, employment status and place of residence.
Once you answer all the questions, youll see a list of grants, loans and temporary assistance programs for which you may be eligible. Then, its up to you to apply for the help you need.
Indiana Financial Assistance Programs
Learn how to find financial help, government assistance from grants, and support in Indiana. Assistance is available in all cities and counties listed below including Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. The government or non-profits offer financial help to pay bills, whether it is for rent or energy costs, child care, and even free medical care or legal support is offered.
Healthy Indiana Plan HIP is a health insurance plan for uninsured Hoosier adults between the ages of 19-64. Some of the services this plan provides includes a basic commercial health care benefit package once a patients annual medical costs exceed $1,100. It also provides for coverage for preventive services up to $500 a year at no cost to the plan participants. This is a great plan to help pay medical bills and debt. 1-877-438-4479
Indiana State Law Calls for Poor ReliefLegislation has been in effect in Indiana since 1894 that requires that Indiana’s 1,000+ towns, local governments and townships provide “poor relief” to citizens. This government relief can include many things, such as rent help, housing, food, utility bill assistance, and medical assistance. Contact your local town government and ask them about the law.
Hoosier HealthwiseHoosier Healthwise is free or low-cost government health insurance plan for pregnant women, children, and low-income working families. This plan will pay for a portion of their medical bills and health care expenses. 232-4946
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Nonprofit Financial Assistance Resources
In addition to government programs, there are also numerous nonprofit programs and grants that aim to help people with everything from food and housing to out of pocket medical expenses and child care assistance. You might even try reaching out to a local religious organization, as there are many churches that help families in need.
Nonprofit food assistance programs
- Feeding America is a nonprofit that provides emergency food assistance through their network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs across the country. The organization also helps those in need find long-term assistance through government programs, even helping with the application process.
Help with utilities from nonprofits
- 2-1-1 is a program through United Way that helps those in need with a broad range of services, including utility assistance. Trained professionals are available to help around the clock when you call 2-1-1.
- Modest Needs provides financial assistance for an array of needs, with a special focus on short-term needs, like help with housing costs and utility bills. The organization offers what they call self-sufficiency grants to help those struggling to get back on their feet.
Nonprofit housing assistance for mortgage and rent costs
Help with medical costs from nonprofits
Where To Look For Grants To Help Pay Bills Donotpay Knows The Answer
According to CBS News, 70% of Americans say that they are struggling financially. Monthly statements are among their major concerns, as many dont earn enough to cover these expenses regularly. To be more precise, nearly half of consumers pay their bills late. When they find themselves in such a situation, many people start thinking about applying for grants to pay what they owe.
Are you, too, considering this option? If so, DoNotPay can point you to some of the best options out there. In fact, we can do even moreour app can help you deal with all the accumulated bills that are giving you a headache.
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When Can I Apply For These Government Financial Hardship Grants
As the grants itself says its a financial assistance, when your financial condition is not so good, and you need money asap, you can apply for these financial crisis grants to avoid your financial uncertainty. These emergency loans or financial assistance is the one of the best source that can be helpful during your financial instability or during bad time. Due to Pandemic Situation there might be a little bit more waiting time, and the mode of application is only online. These assistance can also help you to overcome from this covid hardship situations.
Advice For People Struggling To Pay Essential Bills Because Of Coronavirus
Advice for those in difficulty with utility bills, or repayment commitments on credit cards, loans and mortgages, as a result of coronavirus .
- From:
- 14 January 2021 See all updates
For those worried about paying utility bills or repaying credit cards, loans or mortgages due to the impact of coronavirus, the below guidance sets out the steps you can take to get the support you need.
In the first instance, people struggling to pay essential bills are encouraged to:
- contact your provider: if you think you might have a problem paying a bill, contact your provider as early as possible to explain, and receive help with paying your bills
- ask for help if you need it: if you are struggling with your bills or credit commitments, free advice is available. coronavirus has affected the entire nation and many of us need support now, even if we never have before
- explore payment options: if you are struggling with bills, it is better to agree a payment plan with your provider and keep making regular instalments, rather than cancelling direct debits and letting debt build
Business Minister Paul Scully said:
In response to the impact of coronavirus, the government agreed a raft of measures with providers across a range of sectors to ensure struggling consumers are treated fairly. These agreements cover the following sectors.
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Government Hardship Grants For Unemployed
Exhausting your unemployment benefits means that you have reached the maximum benefits that state law allows you to charge per year. Ideally, having a new job at that time, but sometimes that does not happen. So, you have several options, including applying for extensions of benefits and finding organizations designed to help those in need. At the end of your benefit year, you can resubmit your claim and possibly start receiving benefits again.
How Long Will You Give Me Cash Assistance Covid 19 Emergency
For low-income families, cash assistance would be provided for 21 months, followed by two six-month extensions. The COVID-19 emergency allows you to request and receive additional extensions since the pandemic is regarded as an event beyond your control.
You may receive additional 6-month extensions if you have two obstacles to getting work after 33 months that prevent you from working full-time. For example:
1. Your child :
- suffers from a serious physical or behavioral health condition
- The court or the Department of Children and Families are causing you problems.
2. A household member has the following problem:
- mental or physical disability
- or inability to read English
- inability to work because of childcare or transportation problems.
As long as your 60 months havent been exhausted, you can request an extension at any time, even after you have stopped receiving cash assistance .
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Grants Help With Paying Bills
National as well as local charities and government agencies in the UK listed below provide grants to eligible families, single mothers or individuals to help them pay bills or other costs. There may be emergency funds for equipment, transportation or housing, including grants to clear utility bill or rent arrears. The criteria for each grant will be different, and funds issued will be specific to each applicant and their background. There may be money to pay for educational expenses, fuel or electricity bills, medical needs, housing payments, and other costs that applicants may have. The aim of the government or a charity is to provide financial assistance that will improve the familys economic situation.
Many people do not know these grants exist, the types of bills they may pay for, or how to apply for them. Families in the United Kingdom facing poverty or that are going through a financial crisis could often get assistance from one of these charities or maybe even a district council, if they just knew where to apply at and if they knew how to meet the application criteria that are in place. Also, people that now are living independently but are just looking to improve their skills or income could also benefit from these grants.
Grants To Help Pay The Debt For Daily Living Expenses
When it is stated by the government that they provide grants for debts or an assistance program, along with this they started to look for the disabled cheque. Because this scheme aims to help the people who are disabled and also very low-income. Truly, this scheme is developed for the people who have a monthly income which is less than $800 and also they are disabled and suffering from a lack of financial resources.
To know more information about those schemes, one needs to go to their local social security offices and collect all the information about the scheme. They can talk with the representatives in the office and ask them that they want to know about the scheme and apply for it. And this is a simple way to gather all the information about the scheme, and after that, they can decide that they want to apply for that scheme or not.
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Government Hardship Grants Helping With Food Housing Mortgage And Rent
Apart from government hardship grants for single mothers, government hardship grants for senior citizens, individuals, college students, youth, veterans, and disabled individuals, there are other kinds of government hardship grants as well that can provide the help you with resources rather than providing financial assistance or fast cash. These government hardship grants help the needy, less fortunate, low-income, and poor citizens of the demography of the nation with rent, mortgage, food, housing, and other abstract resources.
The federal government along with several local charities, local community centers, churches, and other local organizations that aspire to help the downtrodden help with food, housing, mortgage, and rent. However, their programs dont go by the government hardship grants title but with several other names like Emergency Food and Shelter Programs, Section 8 housing programs, Supplemental Nourishment Assistance Programs, and many others.
Apart from housing and food assistance programs, there are also government hardship grants that help with rent. However, in most cases, they would not give the applicant the money directly but transfer the amount directly to the landlord for security reasons. You can apply for these government hardship grants for single mothers and food, housing, mortgage, and rent if you have a social security number. Having a social security number makes it easier to apply and process the application.
Offer To Pay A Part Of Your Debt For A Start
Even if you cant possibly pay off the entire debt at once, there still might be some room for negotiation. Talk to the debt collectors about the possibility of paying off a part of your debt for a start. You never knowthey might accept your offer regardless of the amount youre able to pay at the moment.
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Grants For Veterans That Help With Telephone Bills
The average monthly cell phone bill in the country is around $80 per month. Yet most people consider having a phone to be essential, if only for emergency purposes. Those who have a low income or are struggling financially may not be able to afford a monthly phone bill. This can create a stressful situation, because they know they dont have access to a phone to call someone for an emergency if there is one. The good news is that there grants for veterans that help with telephone bills.
Types of Grants for Veterans that Help with Telephone Bills
Lifeline Assistance This is a program that is funded by the federal government. The program aims to help make having a telephone more affordable for everyone, including veterans. The program is available in every state around the country. If you are approved for Lifeline Assistance, you will only have to pay $9.25 per month for your phone bill. You can have a cell phone or a land line and will only have to pay that amount each month. The rest of your phone bill is paid each month by a grant from the government. The government will make the payment directly to your phone provider on your behalf, rather than sending you the grant. To qualify for Lifeline Assistance, you must meet the low income requirements. To apply for the grant, you need to start by locating the Lifeline Assistance administrator in your state. To apply, .
++ Popular grants for veterans
++ Popular grants for veterans
Military Service Member Grants
The military offers a Military Homeowner Assistance program that will help service members and their families with paying for housing. The program will help prevent a foreclosure, assist service members with homes in which the mortgage amount due is greater than the value of the home, provide them with moving assistance, and other housing aid. Continue reading about the .
Veterans and their families may also be eligible for rent assistance, security deposit aid, and eviction prevention services. Most of these use grants from a government agency known as HUD. The resource is commonly called the . It provides cash grants, job placement, and other assistance to those who served our country.
The military also offers several free educational grants and professional certification grants for spouses of military members. They recognize that constant redeployment of military families can make it challenging to improve job skills, so this grant program was created to help. Read more .
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Find Financial Freedom Right Now
When youre unsure how to apply for financial help and feel like youve reached a roadblock, GoFundMe is here for you. If you havent already, start a fundraiser and begin your journey to debt-free living. Skip the lengthy application processes, end the anxiety about finances, and begin focusing on what matters.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
If you are in dire need of financial assistance, you can apply for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunities Grant . You can apply for government assistance if you qualify for a Pell Grant and your income or family contribution is the lowest.
As the name implies, it is a supplemental grant. The Department of Education can give you money ranging from $100 to $4,000. Be aware that how much you receive depends on your need, so keep this in mind before taking action.
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Financial Hardship Grants For Single Mothers
The Department of Human / Social Services in your city or county can typically provide you with information on financial assistance programs such as the Women, Infants, and Children program, Supplemental Food Assistance Program , Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Medicaid. The Single Mother Can Apply for a federal government subsidy. The United States government has about 900 programs aimed at helping single mothers. There may also be programs to help low-income families to pay for child care, housing, energy needs and other daily needs that you have. Contact the local Department of Human or Social Services for more information on existing programs, eligibility requirements, and how to apply.
