Packing up all your things and relocating can be one of the most exciting things that you ever get the opportunity to do. The excitement of the unknown opportunities that await you in your new community is enough to keep you up at night. However, moving can be stressful too. Juggling dates, forwarding mail, and changing phone numbers can be a lot to handle.
On top of all that, moving can be expensive. And we aren’t just talking about the cost of carboard boxes and packing tape. Truck rentals, airfare, insurance, and fuel costs can all rack up a serious tab. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it all by yourself.
Today, we’re going to look at the various places that low-income families can turn to help finance their move or find affordable moving resources.
Charities
Moving can be expensive, but the ability to move can unlock a whole stream of opportunities for those with the funds and perseverance necessary. The potential for families to move, find a new occupation. and reverse their financial course is high. Which is why so many charities devote much of their resources to helping people relocate.
The Salvation Army offers a couple of moving-related services to verified low-income families. Those at risk of homelessness, or already experiencing it, can turn to Catholic Charities USA for aid. Your local YWCA not only provides resources for those escaping domestic violence, but they also provide direction for low-income families. And if all that fails, try filling out the application form at Modest Needs to see if you qualify for a one-time grant of $1000.
Moving Grants
The federal government understands how critical relocation can be, which is why they offer a wide selection of grants and tax breaks to those seeking relocation. These include:
- Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program: Provides families who are at risk of homelessness with financial assistance and services designed to re-house and stabilize them.
- Federal Relocation Assistance Program: Offers individuals and families emergency assistance if their home is affected by a natural disaster.
If all those options fail, call 211 or visit 211.org. A 211 operator will happily point you in the direction of local resources, including moving assistance.
Veterans Housing Assistance
VA Housing Assistance was created to allow veterans, service members, and their surviving spouses to buy a home or refinance a loan. The housing assistance page of the VA’s website is your gateway to finding resources to build, improve, and keep current homes.
Veterans can apply for a VA home loan or one of several different housing assistance grants eligible to those living with a service-connected disability.
Administration for Community Living
The Administration for Community Living was built with the belief that all people should be able to live where they choose. This belief guides them in providing services and support to older adults and people with disabilities.
The ACL is designed to connect older adults and those living with disabilities to programs built to support their lives. This includes connecting them with assisted living support, mental health care services, and all the various federal grants that are available.
Local Church or Religious Institution
Local religious institutions often fill in the cracks left over from government assistance programs. Using the donations that they generate from the local community, many religious institutions will offer help and support to those in dire straits.
Should your search for relocation support leave you wanting, consider reaching out to a local church or religious institution for support. Although they may not be able to provide you with liquid funds, religious institutions are often rich in the generosity of their attendees. As such, they may be able to offer volunteers to help you relocate for a fraction of the assumed cost.
Ask Your Employer
As you no doubt know, relocating to a new city or state is a costly endeavor. As such, a lot of people refrain from taking that giant leap until after they’ve already secured gainful employment abroad.
If you are one of the 30-million-plus Americans predicted to move this year and you already have a job waiting for you at your destination, then perhaps you should consider seeking relocation assistance from your employer.
Hiring a new employee is one of the costliest expenses a company can incur. As such, good companies should always try to do everything that they can to hold onto the good ones. A lot of companies do this by sweetening the deal through perks, benefits, and sometimes relocation assistance.
Start Packing
See? You don’t need to let finances get in between you and your new life in a brand-new city. You do have options.
Solicit the help of a local charity, apply for a state or federal moving grants, or reach out to a local church or religious institution. If you’re a veteran, VA Housing Assistance should be the first place you call. If you’ve been forced to move as the result of a natural disaster, check out the Federal Relocation Assistance Program. If you are older or are living with a disability, then the Administration for Community Living is here to help.
And, if all of those fail to provide you with satisfactory support, don’t be shy about asking your employer. Moving expense reimbursement is standard practice and can help get you the cashflow you need to start moving.