DisasterAssistance.gov - Living Assistance

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You may be eligible for 3 forms of assistance.

Forms of Assistance without Online Applications

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Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Financial Assistance and Social Services

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Program Description

The BIA Financial Assistance and Social Services program provides assistance to Federally recognized American Indians and Alaska Native tribe members in the following ways:

General Assistance: Cash assistance to meet essential needs of food, clothing, shelter, and utilities. Additionally, each General Assistance recipient must work with a social services worker to develop and sign an Individual Self Sufficiency Plan (ISP) to meet the goal of employment. The plan must outline specific steps the individual will take to increase independence. Eligibility will be reviewed every three months, six months, or whenever there is a change in status that can affect eligibility. Recipients must immediately inform the social services office of any such changes. If a client refuses employment or quits a job they will be sanctioned and cannot receive services for a period of at least 60 days but not more than 90 days.

Burial Assistance: One time cash assistance that helps impoverished individuals and families meet expenses incurred by the death of family members.

Adult Care Assistance: Funding to provide medical care to eligible adult Indians who A) have advanced health needs that require personal care and supervision due to advanced age, infirmity, physical condition, or mental impairments; or B) cannot be cared for in their own home by family members.

Child Assistance: Funding to provide services for eligible children for A) Room and Board at a residential care facility; B) Adoption or Guardianship Subsidies; C) Short-term homemaker services; D) Temporary foster care.

Services to Children, Elderly, and Families: Case management services can A) Assist individuals and families in solving problems related to family functioning and interpersonal relationships; B) Provide referral to the appropriate resource for problems related to illness, physical or mental handicaps, drug abuse, alcoholism, and violation of the law; C) Assist with obtaining protective services; D) Provide economic opportunity and money management skills.

Emergency Assistance: Cash payments to individuals or families who suffer from a burnout, flood, other destruction of their home and loss or damage to personal possessions.

General Program Requirements

Individuals must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

Be an enrolled member of a Federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribe
Prove the inability to meet the essential needs of food, clothing, shelter, and utilities
Reside in an approved service area or near designated service area; applicants can determine if they live in a service area by contacting the nearest BIA regional office or social service office
Apply concurrently for all other Federal, state, tribal, county, local programs for which he or she may be eligible
Not be receiving any comparable assistance

Application Process

Applicants can apply for assistance at the nearest BIA operated or tribal social service provider. To obtain information on how to find a provider in your area, please contact the nearest BIA regional office, which can be found at http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/BIA/OIS/HumanServices/index.htm.

Program Contact Information

For more information, write to us at:
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Division of Human Services
MS-4513-MIB
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20240

Call us at:
202-513-7642

Or visit our website at:
http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/BIA/OIS/HumanServices/index.htm

Managing Agency

U.S. Department of the Interior http://www.doi.gov

Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program

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Program Description

The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (PSOB) provides a death benefit to the eligible survivors of Federal, state or local public safety officers whose death was the direct and proximate result of a personal (traumatic) injury sustained in the line of duty (certain fatal, line of duty heart attacks and strokes are also covered). The act also provides a disability benefit to eligible public safety officers who have been permanently and totally disabled as the direct result of a catastrophic personal injury sustained in the line of duty. The injury must permanently prevent the officer from performing any gainful work.

General Program Requirements

Eligible beneficiaries for PSOB purposes, in this order, are spouses; children; designated PSOB beneficiaries on file with the agency at the time of the officer's death; or surviving parents. Eligible children include any biological natural, out-of-wedlock, adopted or posthumous child, or stepchild who is 18 years old or younger. Children between the ages of 19 and 22 may be eligible if a full-time student at the time of the officer's death, and children over 18 who are incapable of self-support at the time of the officer's death due to a disability.

Application Process

For information on applying for disability or death benefits, visit https://www.psob.gov.

Program Contact Information

You may find information on filing a PSOB claim and claim forms at: https://www.psob.gov/ For more information, please call:
1-888-744-6513

Or:
202-307-0635

Mail:
PSOB Office
Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 7th Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531

Email:

Managing Agency

U.S. Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

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Program Description

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides grant funds to States and Territories to assist families in any manner that is reasonably calculated to accomplish the purposes of this program. The purposes are: assisting needy families to care for their children in their own homes; reducing dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; preventing out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and encouraging the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

General Program Requirements

In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must be either pregnant or responsible for a child under 19 years of age. Also the applicant must be a U.S. national, citizen, legal alien, or permanent resident; have low or very low income; and be under-employed (working for very low wages), unemployed or about to become unemployed.

Each State and Territory decides the benefits it will provide. Each State and Territory also establishes the specific eligibility criteria that must be met to receive financial assistance payments or other types of benefits and services. Thus, you must check with the TANF agency in the area where you reside to learn whether you are eligible to receive financial assistance or other TANF benefits and services.

Application Process

For application information from your state, click here:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/states/st_index.html

Program Contact Information

More information about this program is available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/tanf/index.html

Managing Agency

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services http://www.hhs.gov/