The Capital Township General Assistance office is located at 901 S. 11th Street, Springfield, Illinois.  The office is on the south west corner of 11th and Cass Streets. 

We are open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Closed on all County holidays.

Office phone: 217-525-1736

Fax: 217- 525-0056

If you are needing assistance you need to come in person & go thru the INTAKE process.

Intake Times: MONDAY 1:30-3:30 pm / TUESDAY 8:30-11:00 am / THURSDAY 1:30-3:30 pm

Applicants for Workfare or Transitional Assistance need to apply on our A.M. Intake day.

The Caseworkers will be available to see clients at those times for Intake - ONLY.

During intake you will be checked for:

When you come for your appointment:

Once your Caseworker has all the correct documents and completes the interview you will be finished & able to leave.

No decisions will be made at the appointment about eligibility. Your caseworker has five business days to make a determination on your application after ALL documents are received. You will be notified by mail of your approval or denial. You may also call the Caseworker back to check on the status of your application. The caseworker can give you an idea of when to call them back. Utility pledges & payments are made directly to the Utilities Co. We will contact Landlords after we approve your application for Rent assistance. A voucher will be issued once you are approved.  Rent vouchers can be faxed, E-mailed, signed in person or taken by the client to the Landlord once it is ready. It is up to the Landlord what they prefer. You will not have to sign the voucher. You will sign an authorization to pay assistance form at the interview. Caseworker must have ALL documents before they can process the application.

The primary function of this office is to provide certain types of aid for the indigent residents of Capital Township who are legal residents of the United States.  The Capital Township Office of General Assistance, hereafter termed Capital Township, is governed by an elected Board of Trustees.  All policies, procedures, budgets, and grants are established and regulated by the Capital Township Board of Trustees.  Capital Township provides aid for those in need with three distinct categories of assistance.  These categories are:  Transitional Assistance,  Emergency Assistance, and the Workfare Program.

Use Link below to view a printable brochure of programs offered by Capital Township:

Capital Township brochure

Transitional Assistance:

Transitional Assistance is available for childless individuals 18-62 years old who are considered "not employable" and residents of Capital Township.  Individuals who are considered "not employable" can receive up to $350.00 per month in financial assistance. Applicants must exhaust all other sources of income before making applicaton. Applicants that have children in their home or custody of a child under the age of 18 are considered a Public Aid case and don not qualify for Transitional Assistance. Clients who apply for the program must be under the care of a local physician in Capital Township or Springfield, IL. Must be eligible for a full month of assistance to apply. No partial months are issued. Clients incarcerated, confined to a hospital, nursing home or treatment facilities do not qualify for Transitional Assistance. Applicants pending for SSI/SSD are required to sign a form 2199, repayment of interim assistance. The criteria for being considered "not employable" are as follows:

* Disabled as determined by the Department of Human Services. 

Assistance available up to nine(9) months with a pending SSI or SSD claim.

* Unable to work due to a serious injury or surgery.

Need verification from a local physician stating the following: Date of injury or surgery; Why client is unable to work; Intended course of treatment; Expected length of incapacity. Doctor must write on statement client is "UNABLE TO WORK".

Maximum six (6) month limit with updated medical information after three (3) months. After receiving six (6) months of assistance, clients may be eligible for additional 3 months of assistance for a total of 9 months with proof of a pending SSI/SSD application & Doctors statement of incapacity.

* Unable to work due to a serious medical condition.

Need verification from a local physician stating the following:  Verification of on-going treatment for the medical condition for the past 60 days; Verification from a pharmacy listing dispensed medication related to the treatment; Statement explaining why client is unable to work due to this medical condition; Expected length of incapacity. Doctor must write on the statement client is "UNABLE TO WORK".

Maximum nine (9) months limit with updated medical information after three (3) months. After receiving six (6) months of assistance, client MUST have a pending SSI application to continue assistance up to 9 months. From the date of the first check the client has one year to collect the six or nine (which ever applies) months of assistance. Once the client reaches their maximum grants or the one year expires they may not re-apply for two (2) years from the date of last assistance once case is closed. A client that has received six months of assistance and their case has been closed, may not return for the additional three months of assistance if they applied for SSI after the date the case was closed.

Any intentional falsification whether written or oral, will result in a one (1) year sanction of ineligibility for any assistance.

Lifetime limit for Transitional Assistance is 27 grants. Once 27 grants have been issued the applicant is no longer eligible for Transitional Assistance at any time. Applicant may not reapply for Transitional at the end of the lifetime limit if they are not eligible for 2 month or more of grants. Partial grants do not count toward the Lifetime grant limit.

Emergency Assistance:

Emergency Assistance is available for those individuals determined eligible who have demonstrated a verifiable need for a certain category of emergency aid.  The categories for Emergency Assistance are as follows:

• Rent                                      

• Utilities

• Seasonal emergency services

In the majority of cases, Emergency Assistance will be issued through referrals from other social service agencies that are not able to provide the necessary assistance.  Emergency Assistance is paid directly to the vendor only, and never to the recipient.  Emergency Assistance will be granted until such funds are exhausted. 

The Workfare Program:   

Capital Township has established a program to provide temporary assistance for single, childless, jobless adults who are willing and able to work while they are actively seeking permanent employment.  Possible applicants must be able to work with out any physical limitations & not applied for any type of disability assistance. Participating Workfare employers are offered part-time and temporary help at no direct cost to them.  This program provides eligible adults between the ages of eighteen (18) and sixty-two (62) the opportunity to earn the assistance they are receiving and gain valuable work experience. Only a certain number of slots are available for this program. If you remain eligible the maximum you can stay on the program is 9 months. Once your case is closed for reaching maximum grants you can not reapply for 2 years. If you are terminated you can not reapply for 4 years. To find out more about Workfare and how to apply contact our office at 217-525-1736.

Lifetime limit for Workfare is 27 grants. Once 27 grants have been issued the applicant is no longer eligible for Workfare at any time. Applicant may not reapply for Workfare at the end of the lifetime limit if they are not eligible for 2 month or more of grants. All Grants count toward the Lifetime limit.

Transitional & Workfare clients:

Once a client completes Workfare successfully there is a 2 year waiting period to apply for Workfare or Transitional. Clients that leave Workfare due to termination have the 4 year waiting period to apply for Workfare and 2 year for Transitional Assistance.  Transitional clients must also wait 2 full years after leaving the program to reapply for Workfare or Transitional. If a Workfare client while active on the program becomes unable to work and meet all the qualifications for Transitional Assistance they may be moved from Workfare to the Transitional Assistance program. The months they received assistance on Workfare will count toward the months eligible for Transitional. This must take place while the case is still active. Workfare clients that find employment while active on the Workfare program can wave the 2 years eligibility period. They must provide proof of employment to their Caseworker before their case is closed. If within the first 3 months of that employment they lose their job they can return to Workfare with proof of termination from the same employer they left Workfare for and complete the balance of eligible months. They must have at least 2 eligible months. The ineligibility period will revert to the original date of eligibility. A client may only do this one time.

Workfare employer information

To e-mail the General Assistance office please use: townshipgeneralassistance@co.sangamon.il.us

Other Townships:

Capital Township has entered into a intergovernmental agreement with the Townships of Chatham, Cooper, Divernon, Loami, New Berlin & Williams to provide emergency assistance for their residents. Any resident of those townships that is in need of help with a utility disconnect notice or eviction notice can call our office at 217-525-1736 and we will assist you with the application process.

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