Community

General Assistance - Home

Making ends meet can be hard.  Sometimes even a minor disruption can cause an emergency

Polk County General Assistance provides various categories of temporary and emergency assistance for qualifying low income applicants 

The level of assistance available is not intended to fully resolve an emergency, but it does offer some relief

The process begins with completing a General Assistance application and submitting required documentation such as proof of income, proof of rent obligation, social security card and ID.

This is followed by an interview with General Assistance staff (phone or in person) to talk about your situation 

Polk County General Assistance staff may approve your application immediately, but they may need you to obtain additional information before they can make a determination of eligibility

If your application is denied, staff will provide you with the reason for the denial and give you some suggestions on where else you may be able to receive assistance or how to work through the situation.  

Applications can be accessed and submitted through this web-site, through e-mail or in person.  

Click on the links below, or use the menu option, to see more information about categories of assistance

WE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH:

Rental Assistance

Utility Payments

Ongoing Assistance

Veterans

Property Tax Assistance 

Other Assistance Categories - food, beds, cremation, clothing, personal supplies, stranded travelers

Free Financial Counseling 

 

HOW TO APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE

To apply for assistance, fill out an online application or a paper application and bring it to the General Assistance office.  You can also apply by phone by calling (515) 286-2088 or by sending an e-mail to ga.documents@polkcountyiowa.gov in most cases, an interview will take 15-20 minutes to complete.