The Town Clerk is the General Assistance Administrator for the Town. General Assistance is a State of Maine program that mandates all municipalities take application and make decisions for those in need of assistance.
The General Assistance ordinance and appendices are approved annually by the Board of Selectmen.
All applications for General Assistance are confidential. Only the applicant, Town Clerk, and authorized persons will be aware of the applicant and their needs. Authorized persons may include applicant doctors, landlord, utility coordinator, etc.
You can download the application Here.
Applications will be reviewed and written decisions will be issued within 24 hours. There is no appointment necessary. You will be required to bring certain documentation if you are a repeat applicant. A repeat applicant is defined as any person or household that has applied for (whether denied or approved) for General Assistance, in this Town, or any Maine municipality within the last 12 months. If you are a repeat applicant, it would be helpful for you to provide the notice of decision form mailed to you from your last application.
The Town of Hancock is open Monday-Thursday from 7-4:30. If you require immediate assistance outside of these hours you can email the Clerk directly at [email protected]. or call Hancock County RCC at 667-8866 and ask them to contact the General Assistance Administrator, Cheryl Robinson. Emergency aid examples are: 1) it’s Friday, you have no heating fuel, and it is cold temperatures, 2) Your residence has burned down and you have no home to sleep in. It is define as life threating, or out of your control which if left unattended may cause harm or pose a threat to your health and safety.
The Town does have limited budgeted funds for General Assistance and follows the State law strictly. General Assistance is NOT guaranteed and the Clerk cannot tell you over the phone or in person if you will get assistance until the application is completed and reviewed.
If you are pending SSI or disability, you will be asked to sign a form allowing SSI to reimbursement any funds approved for you back to the Town. There may be job searching required, or you may be asked to perform work fare for the Town as a method of re-paying your assistance.