Finding Financial Help In Difficult Times
September 6, 2012
By Katie Bryan, America Saves Communications Manager
USA.gov launched the portal Help for Difficult Financial Times to highlight government resources that can make your life easier during tough times. As part of this effort, they ran a poll asking: What helps you most when money is tight? 5,352 of you responded:
- Savings 44%
- Family 21%
- Credit cards/loans 20%
- Government assistance 15%
64 percent of you stated that savings, credit cards, and loans are the resources you turn to in tough times.
Given that only 15 percent of those surveyed said they turn to government assistance in tough times, USA.gov wants to make sure you know about benefits that could help you.
Government assistance comes in different forms—from unemployment checks and food assistance to credit counseling and medical treatment. Here is a list of some of their most popular resources:
- Government Benefits and Financial Assistance – Get information about grants, loans, financial aid, and other assistance.
- Mortgage Payment Assistance – Learn about mortgage relief, housing counseling, foreclosure, and more.
- Low-Cost or Free Health Insurance Options – Get the information you need to choose the health insurance plan that’s right for you and your family.
- Find a Job – Find a resume builder, get employment assistance, and search for jobs.
- Manage Your Debt – Learn about the steps you can take to get debt under control.
Additional Resources from Consumer Action
Consumer Action has a great fact sheet that provides information about resources to help financially hard-pressed consumers make ends meet. It’s available in English and Spanish at the links below.
English: http://www.consumer-action.org/english/articles/financial_empowerment_resource_sheet/
Spanish: http://www.consumer-action.org/spanish/articles/financial_empowerment_resource_sheet_sp