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TANF, Food Stamps, Govt Assist??

15K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  Hamada 
#1 ·
can anyone give me direction or info on the above?

i got the 20 pg application for Tanf Filled it out..and im supposed to turn it in tomorrow...

as of yesterday
no income
2 kids
house hold bills bills bills

my gf in FL told me to apply

how long does it take to get benefits? do i need to go ahead and take ss cards, birth certificates ( which i cant find for one son) lease, utilities, etc...even though im just turning in the paperwork?

we got one last check today - partial

for Virginia if that helps
 
#2 ·
Emergency money would be available for utilities to be sent to the company. Food banks are around for food. Ask and they will tell you where you can get food that day. I don't know about the paperwork but this is the government. Take everything. Bring the extra son, and any paperwork on him that is legal. Child support ruling from the court? School records? Daycare?
 
#3 ·
They do emergency, where you can get something before you leave the office. Now i know with TANF they mailed us a check. I dont know about where you live but if we took the monthly install ments we would have had to taken some classes about looking for jobs and things but if we took the one time lump sum we didnt, here in texas the one time is a max of $1000 and you can only get that once every 11 months. The monthly was only $250 max, this was no jobs and 2 kids, but when that happened we did get alot of food stamps close to $500 a month! I would also apply for kids medical since you are going, i know in texas its the same app!
 
#4 ·
Yes, if he's in school, they should have a copy of his birth certificate on file.

I have no idea what TANF is, but I know that here in FL, there is a program that is set up to receive emergency funds, up to $1,000 that can be gotten only once in a lifetime. Someone in my family was in VERY dire staights, and she received the max. Now, this program isn't exactly on the news everyday, and the way she found out about out was because her ex FIL is a Welfare social worker, and he let her know. So maybe ask if there's something like it in VA. As a matter of fact, ask as many questions as you can possibly think of, then write everything down WITH phone numbers. For instance, do you get HEAP or WIC? There is still help out there, just sometimes you gotta do your own detective work.

I'm sorry you're going thru this, and I hope the best for you. Please do keep us posted, ok?

Hugs!

Theresa :)
 
#7 ·
Here is a guide you can kinda go by with how much food stamps you can get. it's pretty much the same in all states. This is one for Illinois.But you can get info through local churches and vfw hall ect if needing electricity paid. Don't feel ashamed one bit everyone pays taxes to help other when they are in need and i have needed at time and my daughter does right now.. you do what u need to do fo the family.

http://www.dhs.state.il.us:8080/FSCalc/FSInputCalc.do?lang=en
 
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#8 ·
One of the important things to do is to take all those bills bills bills with you and show them. Also there are quite a few things that they can do fairly quickly if you just throw the word emergency situation into the conversation a few times.
 
#9 ·
i took the 18 page application in and got "someone will mail you a letter for an interview" i filled out the emergency forms..i have some money in the bank and by some i mean 300.00 but i have bills every week and we are use to 700.00 a week
 
#12 ·
i am so sorry...

This is so hard.....can anyone apply for unemployment....I know their guidelines have gotten a little easier...I will pray that things work out for you...It is so hard... i am almost in the same boat because of back house payments that i am making up and that means no christmas for the kids but i have already explained to them...you have food in your stomach, a warm place to live(well almost warm can't afford to use the heat) and clothes on your back so we are okay....my youngest said that's okay mom cause Santa will still bring gifts...ugh! I am like yeah and thinking in my head that someday i am gonna have to clue her in...but not this year... I will figure it out....
Take care....
but alot
 
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#11 ·
Is there a community action center near you?

If so head to it and explain the situation to them. They can set you up an appointment with Social Services to help make sure you get as much help as you need. In the interim they can help you fill out paperwork for electric assist and help you with food for your pantry.
 
#14 ·
wow...okay...

what i do is try and do rebates so that i get a $20 rebate check every now and then and it feels like christmas when i do...for meals lately its been what is in the freezer and i put it in the crockpot and it cooks all day... usually use the meat and make it into some type of stew....I buy the meat when it gets clearanced due to it being ready to expire... bring it home and freeze it...when ready i take it out and put in the crockpot and put in potatoes, whatever veggies i may have and let it simmer....I use coupons galore....shaws last week had buy $24 dollars and get $10 for next shopping trip... the soup was $1 a can on sale however it took the presale price so buy 10 cans of soup for $10 and get two catalinas worth $10... go in and do the deal again... its like free soup... whatever stew i am cooking i add a couple of extra cans of this soup to the crockpot which makes it go further...last week for supper dh made some pizza crust from scratch and for sauce we used ketchup...i have tons from a previous sale... no money to go and buy sauce and had a bag of clearanced cheese in the freezer....it was good...if i can think of anymore things i will post them....sign up for fuel assistance also...
 
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#16 ·
Does your county have a general relief fund? The county I live in does. I'm not sure how exactly it works for the people using it, but I know the water utility I work for has received several checks directly from the county to help people in need of assistance.

Some cities also have a human services office that may be able to provide assistance. Good luck to you!
 
#17 ·
The housing dept in your city can get you on section 8 housing but the enrollment is sometimes limited to only a couple of times a year. The Salvation Army can help with utilities, food, xmas, school supplies and coats. Ask the social worker there for a copy of the list of charities in the area and what they can help with. Some of the churches, methodists here, run clothing pantries. Angel Food Ministries (angelfoodministries.org) allows you to purchase boxes of food at a discount, this is run through the local churches. Low income energy assistance program is run through the food stamp offices and will give you an annual utility credit. Lifeline is a discounted landline phone program available through most telephone companies. Locating an apartment within a close walk of the local soup kitchen helps many. Some cities offer reduced priced bus fair. Netzero and peoplepc offer $10-15 dialup internet access. If you or the children have a disability, you can file for social security. Some cities offer assistance with the water bill.
 
#18 ·
If you find yourself running into doors, sometimes it happens, contact your pastor or a local charity like catholic charities or salvation army. Why, because many times they know people at the TANF office and can help get you to the right people. I know one person who was able to get a checkcut the same exact day for emergency help. One way of getting through the bs is to know people. And yes, it was all ligit.

The most important thing is to bring all the proper paper work with you. Bring a bank statement, utilities bill, rent or mortgage paperwork, license, social security cards, id for child such as report card or birth certificate. May seem like a lot but it will save you from having to go back. When ever you go and speak with someone ask questions.

The utility bill usually has the tele numbers for assistance will payment. Food banks can also be a great source of help besides assistance with food.
 
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