All Illinois townships are mandated statutorily to levy taxes to administer and to offer general assistance for destitute township residents.
General Assistance (GA) is a locally administered welfare program which provides monthly financial assistance to persons who do not have adequate income or resources to provide for their own basic needs. To qualify, the individual must meet certain financial and residential criteria, and be ineligible for any other state or federal assistance programs.
Who is eligible for GA?
Any Stookey Township resident 18 years or older who is either a U.S. resident or legal alien admitted under color-of-law. The General Assistance Program is primarily for those adults without minor children, without adequate income, and ineligible for any other monetary forms of assistance. Other eligibility factors such as citizenship, violation of parole or probation, or drug felonies are also factors in determining eligibility as mandated by the State of Illinois. Due to each applicant’s circumstances, eligibility may vary from case to case.
All applicants must be residents of Stookey Township to register through our office. If you are unsure if you are a resident of our township, you can check your address through the St. Clair County Assessor’s system.
Applicants who are unable to work and have filed for Supplemental Security Income must submit SSI paperwork with their current status and additional eligibility information on request.
You must give complete information regarding income, assets, and means of support at the time of application. All changes in circumstance must be reported in person, via letter, or phone call within five working days of the change or prior to the expenditure of the most recent check received, whichever comes first. Those changes include family size, location, or receipt of income or assets which might affect the applicant’s assistance.
The applicant is also expected to keep appointments and cooperate on referrals. If you receive more aid than warranted because of failure to report a change in circumstances, you will be required to repay the entire amount of excess assistance provided by the township. Persons who fail to comply may be prosecuted for fraud. A person guilty of fraud may be fined, imprisoned, or both. Anyone who encourages a person to misrepresent his or her case by any means is, by law, also guilty of fraud.
**However, an applicant who is no longer eligible for benefits due to non-cooperation, suspension, receipt of lump sum payment, or expiration of lifetime limits under the Illinois TANF program is not eligible for GA.**