Temporary assistance

I'm taking a poll here. What is your definition of temporary assistance for housing?
I thought it should be just a few months? Or could it be years??

dsograph wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 12:58 am I'm taking a poll here. What is your definition of temporary assistance for housing?
I thought it should be just a few months? Or could it be years??

I think it would be whatever the bishop determines. If he has a question, he may certainly counsel with his stake president.

I always tried to provide assistance mainly in the form of food to allow the member to use their resources for things such as utilities or housing.

It’s deliberately vague because individuals and families have different circumstances. Someone might be in school to enable them to get a job to be self sufficient, so they might need assistance for a longer period of time than someone in between jobs. Same goes for someone addressing addiction or leaving a domestic violence situation.

One definition I like is "Bishops should exercise good judgment and seek spiritual direction when considering the amount and duration of the assistance given. They should be compassionate and generous while not creating dependence", aka GHB 22.4.2. Quite often, the Church steps in to address needs that cannot immediately be met by the individual, family members, or government/community resources. And over time, hopefully those other options can transition to meeting the member needs, freeing up the Church resources to be used elsewhere. And I definitely agree with the other comments about liberally using the Bishop's Storehouse, to enable members to use whatever personal funds they have for utilities and housing (either paying in full, or even a minimal portion if that's all they can).