Dubois and Pike County assistance programs.
A number of agencies offer financial help, free items, and other support in the greater Pike County and Dubois region. Many are listed below. Whether it is money to pay rent, heating bill grants, free food from pantries, or general social services, assistance is available for many low income families. Call a church, charity, or not profit to apply.
The leading place to call for help in the area is TRI-CAP, which is the local community action agency of Pike and Dubois Counties. A sampling of the services and assistance programs offered to the low income and needy are below. Also get information on some other agencies in the area.
Assistance programs from TRI-CAP
All of the resources below are offered by the TRI-CAP community action agency.
- Energy Bill Assistance - This program provides cash grants and financial assistance to low to moderate income households and families that can help them maintain utility and heating services. The state wide energy and heating assistance program is administered by Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), and it is available across the state. Find more details on energy bill help in Indiana.
- Emergency and crisis assistance for paying bills - The community action agency can help with providing medicine, housing and rental assistance, utility and security deposits, food, counseling, and help for other financial needs. People need to apply and be found eligible. There are numerous conditions, including clients will need to agree and receive one-on-one debt, budgeting and credit counseling assistance. They need to do this as applicants need to become self- sufficient over the long term. At most, up to a $100.00 benefit will be made to help the applicant pay bills and debts. Sometimes people may be referred to other local non-profit agencies.
- Head Start - This is run by the community action agency. The head start program is a comprehensive child development program which serves children and their families, if they have a child up to age 5. Individualized services provided by Head Start in the areas of early childhood education and development; medical care, dental and mental health, free food, groceries, health care, nutrition and parent involvement.
- Medical Care from Healthy Families - This service is a home visitation program that was originally designed to promote healthy children and families through a variety of health care and medical services including child development, access to free or low cost health care and parent education, among other resources.
- Free Credit and Budget Counseling - Anyone in Pike or Dubois can get free access to these services. A certified credit counselor will meet with each client on a one-on-one basis to review their financial situation. Together, the credit counselor and client will work together to create short and long term goals to reduce the amount of debt (whether credit card or medical) the client has and together they will create a realistic plan to develop savings and assets for the client, so that they are self-sufficient over the long term. They can even help the individual improve their credit score.
- Winter Heating bill assistance- Tri-Cap - They run a program designed to assist the low income, elderly, or families with paying for the the high cost of home energy through partial payment of utility or fuel bills.
- New homebuyer pre-purchase education courses - A free class can help a first time homebuyer for the home buying process. The free course offered to all interest parties covers such topics as selecting a mortgage, selecting a home, how to keep current on your home loan payments, key documents in the home buying process, and post-purchase education.
- Weatherization Program - Make your home more energy efficient. Certain poverty level will need to be met in order to get help from this free government run program. The primary goal of weatherization is to help clients save money on their monthly utility payments. The federal government funded weatherization program is funded by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority as well as the federal government.
- Foreclosure prevention and mortgage default services - Work one on one with a HUD approved housing counselor for home loan delinquency prevention and foreclosure prevention. The TRI-CAP community action agency is also a member of the Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network. All mortgage and foreclosure assistance programs are free of cost to the client and the counseling is provided by a state of Indiana as well as federal government HUD certified foreclosure prevention specialist. Learn more on HUD approved agencies.
TRI-CAP has offices around the area, but are headquartered in Jasper Indiana. Call them at (812) 482-2233 to apply for help or learn more.
Emergency food, financial support, and other help
Salvation Army of both Gibson and Pike Indiana may be able to provide temporary cash grants and financial assistance. The money or loans from the Christian church group can help individuals and families pay for their rent, either first month's or past due, or other housing expenses, such as electric and energy bills. The grants will not provide assistance with paying water bills, telephone or cable bills.
Other needs can also be met by the Salvation Army. They offer everything from free food to clothes, Christmas toys, school supplies, and also substance abuse help. For rental assistance, need to have an eviction notice or thirty days past due. Call (812) 386-6577 for a list of services, or find more details on the Dubious and Pike County Salvation Army.
Evansville Christian Life Center - The free local food pantry provides a variety of resources including canned goods, toiletries, vegetables, bread and frozen items. Order consists of approximately a 3 day supply of food. Clients may use the pantry once every 60 days in order to help them meet their nutritional needs. Call (812) 423-9222
Clothing assistance - Families across southwestern Indiana can receive support from free or low cost clothing closets and thrift stores. A number of resources are available from the non-profit and charity centers, including basic needs or Christmas toys for children. Click here.
Martin's Cloak Food Pantry - Another local food bank that provides families with access to both a clothing bank and food pantry to individuals who can not afford to purchase them on their own.
Click here to locate other food pantries and banks in the southwestern part of Indiana.
Credit and housing counseling in Dubois and Pike Indiana
Housing Counseling - A program run by Hope of Evansville (phone (812) 423-3169) will help with this need. The service provides both housing and credit counseling services including mortgage default or loss mitigation counseling, credit and budget counseling, foreclosure prevention, debt reduction, and reverse-mortgage counseling. Another service known as Live the Dream is a pre-purchase home buyer education course, designed for first-time home buyers in the state of Indiana, that covers the basics of the entire purchase and ownership process.
First time homebuyers can also get access to down payment assistance in the form of forgivable grants or very low interest loans may be available to income-qualified applicants. Also work with a credit or housing counselor for preparatory counseling, which is another free service that is offered to those clients who have credit or debt problems, deficiencies and/or excessive credit card or medical debts. The counseling can assist them in getting qualified for a conventional home mortgage or loan.
Health and dental care
If you need free or low cost care, try calling Impact Christian Health Center. The community clinic is currently open to all qualified patients for medical and dental care. Health care is offered on a sliding fee scale; however, all clients are served regardless of ability to pay and no one is turned away from the facility. (812) 426-6152
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