Assistance Programs

Here are several assistance progams for varying needs. If you know of an assistance progam that is not listed, please send it to me and I will add it to this page. If you find that contact information for a program does not work, please let me know that as well and I will remove or update it.

General Assistance
– Area Relief Ministries (ARM) (Jackson) www.areareliefministries.org
731-423-9257
– United Way, dial 211 or www.unitedway.org
– Benefits Check Up www.benefitscheckup.org This is the website of the National Council on Aging – provides various free benefits checking tools to see what assistance you may be eligible for in housing, medical services, prescriptions, legal services, utilities, taxes and more.

Credit Reports
www.equifax.com
www.experian.com
www.transunion.com
www.annualcreditreport.com

Utilities
NW TN Economic Development Council: 731-364-3228
SW TN Human Resource Agency
731-989-5111

Food Programs
– RIFA (Jackson) 731-427-7963

Housing
– mortgage assistance www.makinghomeaffordable.gov
– shared housing information www.nationalsharedhousing.org

Medical
– Free and low cost health care www.hrsa.gov
– Health Resources and Services Administration http://www.bphc.hrsa.gov
– Healthfinder: www.healthfinder.gov
– Medicare: http://www.medicare.gov
– Medication help: www.pparx.org
– Social Security Administration www.ssa.gov
– Veterans’ Administration www.va.gov

Savings
– America Saves: www.Americasaves.org
– Choose to Save: www.choosetosave.org

Student Loans
– Direct loan program (federal student loans) www.ed.gov/directloan
– Federal Direct Consolidation Loans Information www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov
– US Department of Education central database for student aid. www.nslds.ed.gov

Pet Care Assistance
– The Pet Fund www.thepetfund.com

Employment
– Goodwill Community Foundation – offers computer skill courses, as well as how-to tutorials on a wide variety of topics including job applications, basic life skills, and financial skills.
www.gcflearnfree.org
– Goodwill Career Solutions Center www.goodwillcareersolutions.org
– Career One Stop (US Dept. Of Labor research site) www.acinet.org
– Jobs4tn.gov www.jobs4tn.gov
– Career One Stop job links www.jobbankinfo.org
– Department of Labor www.dol.gov

Child Support Enforcement
– www.acf.hhs.gov

Phones (only for low income families)
– Cell phones
SafeLink – 1-800-977-3768
www.safelinkwireless.com
– Home Phones
Call your local telephone service provider and ask about Linkup/Lifeline
OR call the Tennessee Regulatory Authority 1-877-691-2969

Jackson Madison County Public Library (internet access)
www.jmcl.tn.org
Main Branch
433 E. Lafayette St., Jackson
731-425-8600
Hours: Mon – Thurs 10am – 8 pm
Fri – Sat – 10am – 5pm
Sun closed
North Branch
8 Stonebridge Blvd. (Near Chick-fil-a)
731-425-8600
hours: Tues-Fri 9 am – 6 pm
Sat 9am – 1pm
Sun and Mon closed