Ashley Lambert was one of the first people inside the Wayne Township Trustee’s Office on a Thursday morning in September.
She needed help paying rent.
Lambert lives in a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate who had recently been laid off. And between rent and utilities, they were looking at about $1,400 in expenses each month, which they split evenly.
Lambert, who works a remote job for Lowe’s, knew they needed help to get by.
And she knew her local township trustee’s office was a good place to look. There, residents can get help not only with rent, but other basic needs such as food and clothing.
“I’m prideful,” Lambert said as she sat in the waiting room. “I’ll exhaust everything before I go for assistance.”
Lambert brought her rent ledger, along with the electric and gas bills. She wasn’t sure how much assistance she’d get approved for, but said any amount would help.
Christina Lewis, a township service specialist, gave Lambert good news: She’d been approved for one-time assistance of $1,056 for rent, plus about $100 for utilities. That was on top of a $100 gas card.
“I appreciate this so much,” Lambert told Lewis. “This is such a relief.”
How to get free help in your township
Each of the nine townships in Marion County offers its residents help with basic necessities such as housing, food and clothing. Assistance comes in the form of vouchers, not cash or checks.
To get help, make an appointment to talk to a caseworker, and they will talk you through what can make you eligible for assistance and how to apply.
What kind of help each township offers
Center Township
Offers help with necessities: Rent and mortgage payments, utilities, medical care and prescriptions.
It also has free notary services, free clothing, a food pantry and can help you pay for a burial or cremation.
Decatur Township
Offers help with housing, utilities, funerals and clothing. They provide car seats, backpacks and smoke alarms.
Franklin Township
Provides help with housing, utilities, school clothing and burial, funeral and cremation services. Residents can also apply to host birthday parties and other events in the township’s community room for free.
Lawrence Township
Helps with rent and mortgage payments, utility bills, food and funerals. It provides household cleaning supplies, school clothing, steel-toe shoes for work and insulin in medical emergencies.
Perry Township
Helps with rent and mortgage payments, utility bills, school clothing and burials.
Pike Township
Helps with food, rent, utilities and funeral services. They also have an on-site food pantry and a mother baby room where moms can get things like car seats, wipes and baby shampoo.
Warren Township
Helps with housing, food, water, utilities, school clothing, the cost of burials and cremations and, sometimes, insulin. They also give out free diapers and offer a homelessness support program that gives people a place to stay for 90 days or until they have permanent housing.
Washington Township
Helps people with household items, food, utilities, clothing, bus passes, housing, funeral services and medical needs, including insulin.
Wayne Township
Offers help with housing, disaster relief, utilities, school clothing and burial and cremation. Wayne Township also has a social security representative program, which means a township employee can help residents manage their social security money and pay bills on time.
How to find out if you’re eligible for township assistance
Each township sets standards for how much money your household has to make to qualify based on the cost of necessities in your township. The eligibility requirements are reviewed annually and can change.
If you apply for township assistance and get denied, the township can connect you with other places that can give you help, like churches.
When you apply, you’ll have to have documents such as pay stubs and bills.
What is a township trustee, and what do they do?
Township trustees are elected for a term of four years. They live in the township they serve, and are paid to lead assistance programs, fire departments and emergency services. They are in charge of all township-owned property, like cemeteries and parks.
They create the annual township budget, which must be approved by the township’s board.
Meet each township trustee:
- Center Township: Ladonna Freeman
- Decatur Township: Jason Holliday
- Franklin Township: Danny Meador
- Lawrence Township: Steve Talley
- Perry Township: Patty Hagenmaier
- Pike Township: Annette Johnson
- Warren Township: Vernon Brown
- Washington Township: Frank Short
- Wayne Township: Jeb Bardon
Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers economics. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick.
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