The article has published with the permission of Get government Grants
Emergency financial assistance can help you in difficult times. Presentation of this aid, the conditions to be met and the steps to be taken.
What is the social emergency loan?
The emergency social loan makes it possible to deal with significant financial difficulties . For example, for over-indebted or poor people who can no longer meet their daily expenses (and when the traditional aid granted is no longer sufficient), the CCAS or CIAS (Intercommunal Center for Social Action) set up aid from emergency. These proposed aids therefore allow beneficiaries to meet their basic daily needs such as eating, paying electricity bills, getting dressed, etc.
What are the conditions to be met?
This financial assistance for needy people during hardships is allocated after a study of the person’s file. The conditions for benefiting from it can be age or family situation. On the other hand, the main award criterion is the applicant’s financial situation. The amount of aid is determined according to the remainder to be lived and the family quotient.
What are the steps to take?
To obtain emergency financial aid, you must contact a social worker who will compile a file. For this, you will need to complete a social evaluation form. This file will be studied by a commission which will rule on the granting of financial aid.
In what situations can one apply for the emergency loan?
In addition to the bills listed above, other expenses may require financial assistance:
- – In the event of a disability : the disability can entail high expenses (purchase of a wheelchair, for example).
- – When you have children : despite low resources, sending your children on vacation is essential. This is why financial aid to pay for a leisure center or summer camp can be requested.
- – In the event of death in the family : funeral expenses represent a cost. To bury a loved one decently despite their low income, the CCAS can help.
How much money is awarded?
The amount is between 50 and 150 USD . This amount is limited, but remember that it is only used to pay electricity bills, rent and other vital and essential daily services. This aid must also not constitute a brake on the return to employment.
What other emergency financial aid is there?
Microcredit
The microcredit or emergency social loan makes it possible to finance essential goods allowing the beneficiary to find a job or to follow a training course. Here, we do not give money, but we lend it. To benefit from a microcredit, the personal situation of the applicant is analysed.
Microcredit is aimed at people who cannot take out a traditional bank loan because of their limited income. Depending on the project, the amount that can be borrowed varies from 300 to 5,000 USD for a repayment period of between 6 and 36 months (the duration can go up to 5 years depending on the situation of the applicant).
To apply for a microcredit, you must contact your CCAS who will study your project and help you put together your file before presenting it to your bank. The loan file can therefore be set up in partnership with the CCAS and a banking establishment.
Your guide will be responsible for monitoring the smooth progress of the repayment of your loan.
In many CCAS, microcredit has been set up allowing people excluded from the traditional banking system (registered with the Banque de France, for example) to borrow a sum of money (between 300 and 5,000 USD).
To benefit from a microcredit, your purchase must correspond to a justified need : purchase of a car to get to work, help with training, etc.
Food aid
Food aid provides food to people in need. To do this, you must go to solidarity food banks and grocery stores. You can also get it in the form of cash or as help for the children’s canteen.
The personalized support check (CAP)
The CAP is a financial aid granted to people in economic precariousness. These checks are given after analysis of the applicant’s file. He will receive the CAPs in the form of checks of between $10 and$ 30 which can be spent in shops to buy foodstuffs, medicines, hygiene products and equipment for children.
The direct debit request
The direct debit request allows homeless people to have a physical address. This allows them to undertake administrative procedures requiring them to be domiciled. The request for domiciliation can also be made to the Secours Populaire or the Red Cross.
CAF urgent financial aid
When a family is going through a difficult financial period, the CAF (Caisse d’Allocation Familiale) can grant a loan of honor . This emergency aid makes it possible to meet a specific need (purchase of a vehicle, for example) and to deal with specific difficulties linked to a family event.
The loan of honor is a loan granted without guarantees to meet a specific need . Another essential point: this CAF loan is a zero-rate loan intended for families in temporary financial difficulty.
Who is it for?
This loan is dedicated to families with modest resources who find themselves in financial difficulty following a one-time event. In other words, if you are in a difficult and lasting financial situation, you will not be able to benefit from the CAF honorary loan.
To find out if you are eligible for this emergency aid and to determine whether your loan application is legitimate or not, your situation will be analyzed by CAF services. Of course, your resources are a determining criterion for obtaining it, but the scales differ from one department to another.
What is the amount of the CAF honor loan?
The amount of emergency financial assistance varies by department and depends on your situation. Most of the time, the terms of repayment are left to the choice of the family. On the other hand, a maximum duration and a minimum amount of repayment of monthly payments are applied. If you wish (and can), a prepayment can be requested.
How to apply for a loan?
Do you want to apply for an honorary loan from CAF? Your request must go through a social worker from the Caisse d’Allocation Familiale . To obtain an appointment, you must therefore contact the CAF of your department. During this interview, you will be able to explain your situation and the reasons for your request for an honor loan. The social worker will ask you for the supporting documents needed to approve your file.
An overall assessment of your request will then be made with an analysis of your resources, your family situation and your expenses. The social worker will prepare a report that will accompany the assessment that will determine the amount of assistance granted.
The Coronavirus crisis and financial assistance from CAF
During the Coronavirus crisis, CAF reintroduced emergency aid. Its purpose is to help families who cannot meet basic necessities such as food needs, for example. This aid is intended for recipients who have at least one dependent child and above all who are already receiving a social benefit. This aid can also be granted to non-beneficiaries who have a dependent child under the age of 18 or to non-beneficiaries parents with visitation rights.
To qualify for this assistance, you must be in one of the following situations:
- Dietary needs
- Death related to COVID-19
- Urgent displacement related to a family reason
- Urgent repair in your home
- Payment of charges such as gas, water, electricity, internet.
The urgent financial assistance offered today therefore makes it possible to deal with a major financial difficulty. To find out more, do not hesitate to contact the CCAS of your municipality. In addition to its preventive role, the CCAS is there to act in the event of an emergency and to enable people in need to get help.