Welfare Department (General Assistance)

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency after hours, please call the Gorham Police Department at 839-5581.
 
For help with General Assistance inquiries after the regular hours of operation noted on the left of this webpage, please contact the Gorham Police Department.

General Assistance

The Town of Gorham Welfare Department offers a General Assistance (GA) program to assist eligible residents, who are unable to provide for their household with basic necessities. Eligibility is determined according to state overall maximums and allowances. GA is administered in accordance with the Town of Gorham GA Ordinance and Maine State Statute, Chapter 22.

The program provides confidential financial assistance to Gorham residents who are having difficulty meeting basic needs for shelter, food, non-food, fuel, utility payments, and medical expenses. General Assistance is designed to be the program of "last resort." The department works with clients to self-sustain, utilizing a myriad of social services within Cumberland County. The program is funded by local property taxes with 70% reimbursement from the state. All assistance is granted in voucher form to local merchants. The Town works with applicants to ensure that appropriate community referrals are made to support services.

Appointments

To access General Assistance, an appointment must be made by calling (207) 892-1906. You may also reach the office by emailing the GA Director at rjdaniel@windhammaine.us.

Appointments are generally scheduled within a week of the phone call. Walk-in appointments are not accepted. A first time appointment will include a screening over the phone to ensure basic eligibility requirements are met and that the individual knows what documents/paperwork to bring to an appointment.

Appointments are generally 30 to 60-minutes long depending on the issue. It is important that applicants call-in at their scheduled time for telephone appointments. If you are more than 10 minutes late, your appointment will be rescheduled as to not cause a delay with other scheduled GA appointments. General Assistance holds appointments only via telephone. The Town is required to have someone available 24 hours a day to accept applications in an emergency. If this is an EMERGENCY and the office is closed, please contact Gorham Police at (207) 839-5581.

The Importance of Utilizing Resources

It is important that an applicant use their income for basic necessities. If an applicant chooses to spend their income on non-basic items, they may not be eligible for GA. Applicants must apply for and use all other resources available:

  • TANF & other DHHS programs
  • LI-HEAP
  • Unemployment Benefits
  • Subsidized Housing programs
  • Government-assisted programs & community resources
  • Federal food supplements
  • Support from legally liable relatives
  • Maine Care/Medicaid/Medicare
  • Income Tax Refunds

What to Bring With You When You Apply

  • Photo Identification (for all adults in household)
  • Social Security Cards (for entire household)
  • Birth Certificates (for all children in household)
  • Passport/Visa (if not U.S. citizen)
  • Signed lease/rental agreement
  • Bank statements for the past 30 days
  • Proof of ALL household income (paystubs, TANF, SSA award letters, child support, unemployment, etc.)
  • Medical documentation (if experiencing hardship from medical reasons)
  • Utility bills (if seeking help with them)
  • Work-related expenses
  • Receipts for the past 30 days (repeat applicants only)
  • Correspondence from Social Security
  • Correspondence from Department of Health & Human Services
  • EBT card (if you have one)
  • Immigration paperwork
  • 1-589 (a-receipt) (if applying for asylum)

If you have questions pertaining to social services in the area, please feel free to call (207) 892-1906.

The Town of Gorham Social Services thanks the businesses, organizations, and volunteers in the community who reach out with a helping hand to assist those in need during the holidays and throughout the year. Your assistance and kindness is recognized and greatly appreciated.

Staff Contacts

Name Title
Rene Daniel General Assistance Administrator
Feed