Programs

Lincoln

Serving Butler, Cass, Gage, Jefferson, Lancaster, Polk, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Thayer, and York counties

Our Family Support Services (FSS) Program offers financial assistance for various needs, including rent, utility bills, prescriptions, vehicle repairs, and transportation. The program will consider requests for assistance with all types of bills.

Each household selected can receive financial assistance once a year. The maximum one-time assistance amount is $300 and is only approved as the final payment for a bill.

For assistance with funeral-related expenses or if you have been impacted by a natural disaster, please reach out to Marilu Cazares,  Director of Family Support Services, at mcazares@csshope.org to receive instructions on the application process for these situations.

What to Know Before You Apply

• Funding is limited, and assistance is not guaranteed.
• Be ready to upload all the required documents mentioned in the application you will be submitting.
• If you are facing an eviction, only submit an application if your landlord will accept a maximum of $300 from Catholic Social Services.
• If you are experiencing or facing homelessness and require assistance with your deposit or your first month's rent, please have the following documents ready: Picture ID, proof of income, an approved lease detailing the apartment address, unit number, rent amount (including your portion), and the move-in date, a letter from the landlord or property manager confirming that you can move-in on ____ (date) if Catholic Social Services will guarantee $300 for toward the first month's rent.
• Financial assistance cannot be requested again for six months if an application is incomplete or denied, including required supporting documents.
• Applications are processed in the order received and based on eligibility and available funding. 
• For people in the Lincoln office service area, online applications are only accepted on Mondays from 9:00 am until all spots have been filled. Access to the form will reopen the following Monday at 9:00 am.
• Our FSS program has two staff members, so we appreciate your patience while we process the requests submitted.
• Please check this site for updates, as the online form availability is subject to change.
• Once you submit your application, if your application is selected for further consideration, we will contact you within approximately 24 hours. If we do not contact you within 24 hours, it means your request was not selected for further consideration.
• PLEASE NOTE: Anyone 18 or older in the household will need to give permission for their information to be included in the database that CSS and other organizations use to track services provided. Please click here to read our Release of Information before submitting your application.

IMPORTANT: Like you, we are interested in your financial well-being. Toward this, we encourage you to invest in growing your financial literacy skills. If you receive assistance and should need to request additional financial assistance from CSS after one year, you will need to provide proof of having completed financial literacy training. Click here for financial literacy training resources.

Are you in need of blankets, sleeping bags, sunscreen, bottled water, toiletries, diapers, baby formula, and more? We offer these items to our walk-in clients at our downtown location at 2241 O Street during our normal business hours.

Our CSS Lincoln offices (2241 O St.) are a Warming Center

A warming center is a place people can go to get temporary relief from extreme cold. For community members without a warm indoor space, warming centers can provide temporary relief from extreme cold. If you need to travel to reach a warming center, please do so carefully.

CSS is available as a warming center during our normal business hours: Mon-Thurs 9a-12p, 1-4p & Fri 9a-12p. During these hours, we provide hand and foot warmers, coats, gloves, scarves, socks, hats, and blankets. We also offer hot coffee starting at 9:00 am (while it lasts).

For more information and a full list of City of Lincoln Warming Centers, click here.

Hastings

Serving Adams, Clay, Dawson, Fillmore, Franklin, Furnas, Gosper, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Kearney, Nuckolls, Phelps, and Webster Counties

Please call 402.463.2112 to learn more.

Auburn

Serving Johnson, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, & Richardson counties

We take requests for financial assistance on Mondays. The phone line opens promptly at 9:00 AM and remains open until the list for weekly financial assistance has been filled. You are eligible to receive assistance only once per year. Appointments are limited and based on a weekly budget. 

The number to request financial assistance is 402.817.2753. If you need help with food, personal care items, diapers, or household goods, please call 402.327.6242 Monday-Thursday. Please leave a message and our Director of Social Services will contact you.

Until further notice, phone interviews are replacing in-­person appointments.

Imperial/McCook

Serving Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Hays, Hitchcock, Lincoln, Perkins, and Red Willow counties

Please get in touch with Family Support Services Specialist Jennifer Hinze at jhinze@csshope.org to learn more.