My disabled Aunt & Uncle and 19-year-old cousin who cares for them both have had their 200-year-old home condemned by the health department due to roofing and electrical issues. They have long been aware of the need to make repairs, but they do not make enough money between their disability and my cousin's caretaker allowance to make any necessary repairs, and any family members close by are unable to help. (They live in Northern Illinois, over 900 miles from me).
Do you know of any resources in IL that they can tap to possibly get these repairs done? Any suggestions? They have less than 48 hours to vacate the home and they have literally nowhere to go. My disabled Uncle, paralyzed Aunt, and young cousin will be completely homeless.
United Way has a helpline. 2-1-1 provides free and confidential information and referral. Call 2-1-1 for help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more. The website is http://www.211.org/
I would call them. You could also call the local town hall and ask for referrals where they could go temporarily - shelter, YMCA, etc. Good luck.
When I was in Iowa, there was a temporary shelter that had some discretionary funds to help someone avoid becoming homeless, although it certainly wasn't enough to bring a roof & electricity up to code. I agree about the United Way helpline. If there's a local Habitat for Humanity, you might see if they can suggest any qualified volunteers. Have you tried talking to the Health Dept that's condemned it, to see if they have any resources or agencies to suggest? Also try calling the office in charge of Section 8 housing to see how long the waiting list is, and see if they can suggest any agencies to contact. Start with the United Way help line, and keep calling places & googling for resources. Good luck!
I would go online to get phone numbers of government agencies in their town. Then I would call and talk with an actual human being. People are more responsive if they are talking with you in person. I'm sure they'll know what direction to point you. Good luck and God Bless you for stepping in to help.
Could you be a little more specific about where they live? Norther Illinois is very large.
see if they have 2-1-1 services in that area. it is a clearing house for community and state organizations and they may be able to help your family in that area of IL. who provides the caretaker allowance to your cousin?? call that organization and ask for their help in getting relocated. good luck!
Where exactly do they live? Different cities have different services available.
I'm from suburban Chicago, you don't say what county or what city they're in. The counties up there have housing authority systems and if they can't help should at least be able to point you in the right direction. Northern Illinois Food Bank also may be able to help, they have resources to point you toward non-food assistance as well. The United Way 211 system does not cover the northern portion of the state.
Are they in Rockford? I live near there and could look some things up if they are around here, if that would help. I don't know anything off the top of my head though.
I'm not in your state but in my state they could go to the state social services (welfare) and see if there are any programs that could help them. This is the agency that places people in shelters and may have or know of a program that can assist them. Also since they are disabled they might call social security and see if they have any programs to help.
