Welcome to the Application Process for the Family Assistance Fund!

Souls Church is committed to seeing people from all walks develop a strong relationship with God and live in victory in every challenging season they may be facing.  At times, some may need some financial help to get by. Whether it is for food, utilities, or an urgent bill, our church family desires to give of their own resources to help others going through a difficult time.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
The Souls Church Family Assistance Fund was created as a last resort to help eligible church members who are in need of financial assistance because of a qualified incident.  An applicant can only receive financial assistance once within a 12 month period.  In the case of a denied application, the member is eligible to submit a new application (for a different incident) after three months.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY
A qualified applicant is an individual who has been:

• an active member at Souls Church (has attended Lunch On Us membership class and attends services consistently 2-3x per month) 
• has contributed financially through tithes and offerings in various ways over the past 12 months
• actively serves on a Dream Team
• working and residing in the United States

QUALIFIED INCIDENTS
Qualified incidents are unexpected emergencies that arise outside of one’s control and causes financial hardship. A qualified incident is typically a one-time event that occurs unexpectedly and causes unexpected bills. The reported incident must have occurred within 120 days of the application date.
Circumstances that may qualify for assistance fall into one of five categories:

• Natural disaster (flood, lightning strike, house fire, tornado, etc; primary residence only)
• Life-threatening or serious illness or injury (heart attack, car accident, emergency room visit, or other medical expenses not eligible for reimbursement)
• Loss of life (funeral expenses)
• Catastrophic or extreme circumstances (an event that has happened within 120 days of the application date, does not fall into any of the above categories, and results in unexpected bills)
• Loss of household income due to cutback in hours or overtime, unemployment, divorce or loss of child support

Examples of incidents that DO NOT qualify include but are not limited to:

• Incidents that occurred more than 120 days prior to the application date.
• Accumulated financial distress (income is not enough to cover regular monthly bills on an ongoing basis).
• Wage garnishments/Disconnection notice/Eviction notice. These are results of financial hardship, not the cause.  (We need to know what happened that prevented you from paying these bills.)
• In some cases, lack of medical insurance and/or lack of home owner’s insurance. 
• Non-member funding through the member (i.e. a member cannot secure financial assistance for their relative that has no affiliation with the organization)

The Family Assistance Fund is meant to help assist you in being part of your solution. Due to the number of requests, the cap for each approved family fund assistance application is up to $300 and is reviewed by the trustees/board of directors.  Souls Church reserves the right to use their best judgment based on the information provided below.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Please take a few minutes to complete the online application below and someone will be in contact with you within 1-2 business days.