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- Work First Family Assistance
Work First Family Assistance
Equal Opportunity
Interpreter services available at no cost. Haywood County Health and Human Services is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
- Work First Family Assistance
- Employment Services
- Benefit Diversion
- Child Only
- Job Retention Assistance
- Community Crisis Management
- General Assistance
- Eligibility Criteria for Work First Family Assistance:
- The child(ren) must live with an adult relative who is within a certain degree of kinship or with a non-relative who has legal custody or legal guardianship
- Must cooperate with Child Support Enforcement requirements when applicable
- Must meet citizenship and residency requirements
- Must meet income and resource limits
- There must be a child age 18 or younger in the home
- Unless exempt, adults in the household are subject to work requirements
- Provides temporary monthly cash assistance to families with children
- Through Work First, parents can receive training and other services to help them become employed and self-sufficient
- Assist families with children in receiving training, education, and support services necessary to help the parent/parents become employed and more self-sufficient
- Call 828-452-6620, option 3 for more information about Employment Services
- The benefit amount is determined based on eligibility and need. The family must be employed or soon-to-be-employed to be considered
- Benefit Diversion is an optional short-term benefits package that may be provided to families instead of Work First Family Assistance benefits. It is intended to be a one-time service for families who are experiencing a short-term crisis situation and is not designed to meet ongoing and continuing needs
- The benefits packet includes a one-time lump sum cash payment, Medicaid, Food and Nutrition services, referrals to child support, child care assistance, and other community resources
- Call 828-452-6620, option 3 for more information about Benefit Diversion
- The family must meet all of the eligibility requirements for Work First Family Assistance in order to be considered for Benefit Diversion
- Benefits provided to specified relatives who are providing a home, supervision and primary care to children who are not their own
- Call 828-452-6620, option 3 for more information about Child Only services
- Child must be under the age of 18 and living in the specified home full-time
- Children who are U.S. Citizens living in a home where neither parent is a U.S. Citizen and therefore not eligible for public assistance
- Household income is not considered in the eligibility determination
- The parent of the child cannot be residing in the same home with the child
- Call 828-452-6620, option 3 for more information about Job Retention Assistance
- Designed for temporary immediate assistance
- The family must be at or below 150% of the poverty level
- There must be at least one family member working
- There must be a barrier to employment that needs immediate attention
- Applicants must meet income and reserve guidelines
- Assistance may be provided for temporary shelter, transportation to maintain employment, to prevent eviction, etc.
- Assistance will be limited to $300 within a 12-month period
- Call 828-452-6620, option 5 for more information about Community Crisis Management Fund
- Provides short term assistance during an immediate crisis to eligible applicants within the community
- The assistance is paid directly to the vendor, and the maximum amount is $100 per person/household per fiscal year
- Funds may be used for assistance such as food, vehicle fuel, bus tickets, emergency shelter and prescriptions needed for a life threatening illness
- The General Assistance Program is designed to meet the essential needs of an individual or household who is in an emergency or crisis situation