Determine your eligibility.
Follow the steps below to determine if you are eligible for the stipend. You are eligible if you meet all the following requirements.
Once you have determined your eligibility, gather the required documents before applying.
Individuals are eligible for the stipend if they meet all the following requirements:
You are a homeless service worker.
You work full-time or part-time or as an independent contractor directly on-site with persons experiencing homelessness or residents of transitional or permanent supportive housing.
- There are no restrictions on the minimum hours needed to be eligible as a part-time provider.
- Full-time is considered 32 + hours a week.
You currently work for an 'eligible entity.'
An eligible entity is any organization that contracts with a Washington state city or county providing homeless services.
To find out if the organization you are working with is eligible, search the list of eligible organizations by typing the organization’s name into the search box.
Even if you do not find the organization on the list, but meet the other program requirements, please apply in the event the organization is added to the eligible organization list later.
You currently work in Washington State
All applicants must be employed by an eligible entity in Washington State.
You have an immediate economic need.
Immediate economic need includes, but is not limited to:
- Rent or mortgage payments;
- Utilities and other household bills;
- Medical expenses; student loan payments;
- Transportation related costs;
- Childcare-related costs;
- Behavioral health-related costs;
- Other basic necessities.
- Applicants must self-attest to having one or more of the "immediate economic needs" identified above.
Your income is at or below 80% of county area median income in the county you live or work in.
The Area Median Income (AMI) describes the midpoint of an area's income distribution, where 50 percent of households earn above the median figure while 50 percent earn less than the median.
- The 80% AMI threshold is relative to the applicant's county of employment or the applicant's county of residence
- Program administrators will verify you meet the AMI requirement prior to processing your application.
If you would like to verify your AMI on your own, follow these steps.
- First, add all your individual gross income (income before any taxes or other deductions) and check the AMI for your county of residence and county of employment.
- You can check your AMI for a household of 1 person using the Department of Housing & Urban Development’s (HUD) website.
You do not need to be 18 years of age or older to be eligible.
Once you have determined your eligibility, gather the required documents before applying.
Questions?
There is a dedicated support team ready to help you with any quesitons you may have.
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