Food and Financial Relief

Budget

• If you haven’t looked at a budget in a while, now’s the time to do so. Every Dollar is a great free app to use to get a budget together.
• Get clarity from your income sources as to what the reality will look like over the coming weeks.
• Cut spending to bare necessities. If you can’t pay all of your bills, Dave Ramsey recommends you spend your money on these four items first and in this order:
  • Food 
  • Utilities 
  • Shelter 
  • Transportation

   

  Defer Payments

  • If you’re still not able to cover all of your expenses, identify payments that can be deferred:
    • Call creditors to explain your situation. You can ask for temporary relief on your monthly payments. If you offer to still send some money, even if it’s a smaller amount than your typical payment, they might be more willing to work with you.
    • If you have federal student loans, you can forbear (interest accrues) or defer (interest doesn’t accrue on subsidized federal loans) your loan payments.
      
    • For student loans, use this questionnaire to understand what options are available to you
  • If you’re paying extra on debt(s) right now and have less than one to two months’ worth of expenses in an emergency fund, it might not be a bad idea to temporarily stop extra payments and then restart them once things settle down.
  • Enroll for health insurance, if you can.
  • Use this week to get a game plan together and gather information, as there may be more changes coming.
  • Reach out to the MoneyWise team using an email address listed above if you want to talk.

Unemployment Insurance

• Go to: How to file an unemployment claim with the Georgia Department of Labor.
• For people that don’t qualify for traditional unemployment, like freelancers, here’s another option.
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Small Businesses

• Contact the Georgia Small Business Development Center for free guidance.
• Small Business Administration
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All of Metro Atlanta

• BCM Georgia – Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Assistance, Safe Housing, and Financial Education
• One Need – Financial Assistance
• Good Samaritan Health Center – Sliding-Fee Medical Care
• Student Meals (by School District), Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County Schools, Additional City of Atlanta Locations – Student Meals
• Benefits.gov – Coronavirus Resources
• unitedwayatlanta.org or Dial 211 from Any Phone – Financial Assistance Resources
• auntbertha.com – Financial Assistance Resources

Alpharetta/Roswell/Dunwoody

• North Fulton Community Charities – Food, Rent, and Utility Assistance
• Community Assistance Center – Food, Clothing, Rent, and Utility Assistance

Decatur

• Decatur Cooperative Ministries – Rent and Utility Assistance
• Partnership for Community Action – Emergency and Utility Assistance, Career Services
• Decatur-Area Emergency Assistance Ministry– Food, Clothing, Rent, and Utility Assistance

Forsyth County

• The Place of Forsyth– Food, Clothing, Rent, and Utility Assistance
• Georgia Highlands Medical Services– Sliding-Fee Medical Care
• Forsyth County Schools – Student Meals

Gwinnett County

• Gwinnett Helpline – Information and Referral Services
• Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett – Sliding-Fee Medical Care
• Gwinnett County Schools – Student Meals
• North Gwinnett Co-Op – Food and Medication Assistance

Marietta/Smyrna/Cherokee

• MUST Ministries – Food, Clothing, Rent, and Utility Assistance; Career Services
• Georgia Highlands Medical Services – Sliding-Fee Medical Care
• Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb – Sliding-Fee Medical Care
• Cobb County Schools – Student Meals