General Assistance
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 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 Aurora 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 township Assessor’s system here.
Emergency Assistance Program
Applicants who do not qualify for General Assistance may still qualify for Emergency Assistance. To qualify for this program, the applicant must:
- be 30 days or more behind in their rent,
- have received a 5-day notice from their landlord, and
- meet specific financial criteria based on household size.
(Emergency Assistance is unavailable to persons residing in subsidized housing.)
If a household is approved for this benefit, Emergency Assistance is available only once in an 24-month period, and other criteria will be reviewed to ascertain if the applicant is eligible.
Who is eligible for EA?
Any township resident 18 years or older who is either a U.S. resident or legal alien. Emergency Assistance may be available for adults with minor children. This program is limited to rental situations only, and subject to the above listed criteria.
How Does a Resident Apply for Assistance?
A general/emergency assistance application can be obtained from the township office or by downloading and printing out a PDF copy of the GA application. After an application is completed an applicant will meet with a case manager who will review his/her case and decide what other documents must be provided to consider eligibility status.
Referral Services
Aurora Township has a strong relationship with many other Aurora/Kane County agencies. We work with all individuals to ensure that they are given every resource above and beyond our assistance program to help them in their individual situations.
