What To Do If You Need Help Now During COVID-19

If you are like millions of Americans needing help now, then you are not alone. There are plenty of resources that you can try. Your first step is to call 2-1-1 to find out about the resources in your area. If you pay a mortgage and you are having a hard time with the payments or have lost your job and can't pay it at all, contact your mortgage provider and see if they have hardship programs that you may qualify for.

If you need help paying rent or bills, call 2-1-1, contact your local Catholic Church, or visit this website to get even more resources. If you are behind on your credit cards or loans, call the companies and ask them if they have a hardship program or if they have some type of insurance that will cover you when you lose a job. You would normally have already signed up for those programs when applying for the card or loan.

If you need help with your student loans, they should have already been deferred but if not, you should contact your loan provider immediately to see your options. If you need help with your phone, internet, or anything similar, you can call each company to ask about the help they are offering right now. Each phone company is offering help and so are some of the cable companies. If you need help with your car payments, call the company to let them know your situation and see what help they can offer you.

If you are in need of food now, apply for food stamps in your state. In March and in April, most states did not do an interview and most people who applied were able to get help. They also gave the full benefits even if you did not qualify for the full amount. They have also extended the amount of months you can receive the benefits. If you are receiving some type of government benefits or have low to no income, you can also apply for lifeline services. Lifeline provides you a free smartphone with free minutes/data for a year. You have to recertify every year after the first year. You can apply here. After you are approved, you can go to this link and apply through the company you see fit.

Last, if you can not get help, start looking for jobs (while trying to stay safe) so that you can have some type of income coming in. You can apply at indeed.com and see what companies are hiring right now.