The Township Relief office takes great pleasure in being able to assist those that need us the most in Peoria Township. With our assistance programs, we are able to help at least 2900 no income and lower income residents each year. The number of residents being helped every year keeps growing and growing! So please, if you find that you are in a time of need, read below and see if there’s a program that could assist you in any way.
GENERAL ASSISTANCE (GA)
General Assistance is a state-mandated program for those who qualify to help meet their basic maintenance needs. Those who are eligible could receive VOUCHERS for rent, utilities, transportation, and personal items from approved vendors, up to $425 per month. The GA program has provided assistance in helping over 100 individuals in our township with these important needs.
GA Requirements:
While all requirements are too lengthy to post here, some of the basic requirements are listed below. We encourage anyone interested to apply so that a caseworker can determine if you qualify. We make every effort to help the residents of Peoria Township!
- Residency in Peoria Township is an eligibility requirement.
- There is no duration requirement. A resident is a person who lives within the Peoria Township boundaries and has no intent to move from the Township.
- A Landlord Verification form is issued to each applicant. This form MUST be completed by the property owner to verify the person’s residence.
- An applicant can not have any dependent children living in the household.
- If so, the person should apply at Public Aid (DHS) for cash assistance.
- An applicant must not have any source of income, including but not limited to: Wages, unemployment benefits, Social Security Disability (SSD), Social Security Retirement (SS) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
Once approved, to remain eligible for General Assistance, recipients are required to complete up to 6 hours of training per week, available at a number of different social service agencies in the area. Bus passes are provided to those who do not have transportation.
How to apply:
Applicants may come into our office at 427 W. Main Street, Peoria, IL. 61606, or print off application from this site, applications are accepted Monday-Friday from 8:30 am-3:30 pm. Please bring your VALID ILLINOIS PHOTO I.D AND SOCIAL SECURITY CARD with you. At this time, an appointment will be set for you to meet with a caseworker, who will review the application and ask for all necessary verification. Once all required forms of verification are submitted and reviewed, a decision is made within 30 days of the application date.
A application can be found at the documents section of this web site under the General Assistance Section.
Maximum voucher amounts will total $425/month for those who qualify. (as of 10/1/23)
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE (EA)
We are proud to help between 150-200 lower income individuals and families every month with our EA Assistance.
Assistance is available for the following:
- Ameren Utility Assistance
- Eyeglasses and exams*
- Illinois American Water (limited)*
EA Requirements:
- Applicant must be a resident of Peoria Township
- Net monthly household income cannot exceed $2500 for an individual OR $3000 for a family (income guidelines revised eff: 1/1/2022)
- Applicants cannot be a client of our General Assistance program
- For eyeglasses, the applicant cannot have a medical card from the State of Illinois or medical insurance that covers those things.
- For Ameren the bill must be in the applicant’s name at the address in which they currently live.
How to apply:
Applications for the eyeglasses and water assistance are available on a walk-in basis at our office during regular application hours (8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. | Monday – Friday).
You can call ahead of time and we will be happy to tell you what you need to bring with you. 674-8237 ext. 0
Appointments for Ameren assistance are taken by phone call on specified days of each month. No walk-ins are accepted for Ameren appointments. Calls for assistance are usually taken the last two business days of the month. Please check the HOME page for the next monthly call-in dates. If you receive assistance from the PIPP program, you will not qualify.
*** FOR AMEREN APPOINTMENTS, YOU MUST HAVE ALL VERIFICATION THAT WAS ASKED OF YOU ON THE PHONE, AT THE TIME OF YOUR APPT. ***
The following are verifications that are typically needed when applying for Emergency Assistance. You can bring these with you when you come to the office for Emergency Assistance (please note, other documents may be required depending on someone’s specific situation):
- Photo ID
- Birth certificates for any minor children in the household
- Marriage license (if married)
- Current lease OR Landlord verification form (if renting) NO rent receipts please
- Property tax bill OR Mortgage statement (if homeowner)
- Current Ameren bill (only if applying for Ameren assistance)
- Disconnect notice from Illinois American Water (only if applying for water assistance)
- Eligibility Summery w/ no details from DHS, Proof of (TANF) DHS/Public Aid received
- Proof of household income from everyone for the last 30 days (Check stubs, Unemployment benefits, Social Security, pension, Child support)
A sample application can be found at the downloads section of this web site under the Emergency Assistance Section.