If you live in Center Township and can’t cover rent, a utility shutoff, groceries, a prescription, or a funeral, the Center Township Trustee assistance program is the local emergency fund of last resort. Apply in person at the Julia Carson Government Center, 300 E. Fall Creek Parkway N. Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46205, or call (317) 633-3610 to start an intake interview.1IN.gov. Welcome to Center Township of Marion County Once your application is complete, the trustee has 72 hours to give you a written decision.
You must live inside Center Township boundaries to apply here. If your address is elsewhere in Marion County, you need to go to your own township trustee’s office instead.
What the Trustee Will Help Pay For
Assistance is tied to specific basic needs, not cash in hand. The categories Center Township covers include:
- Rent or mortgage payments to stop an eviction or foreclosure
- Water, gas, electric, and prepaid electric utilities
- Food pantry access and grocery purchase orders
- Medical office visits, prescriptions, dental care for pain or infection, and eyeglasses
- Burial and cremation expenses
- Bus passes for work or appointments
- School clothing for families with school-age children
- Traveler’s aid for people stranded or in transit
The program is a last resort. The trustee can extend help only when your own resources have fallen short of a basic necessity, and the office will send you to another public program if you might qualify for one.2State Board of Accounts. Township Assistance
Who Qualifies
Eligibility turns on where you live, your household income, and your assets. Each township in Indiana sets its own standards, and those standards must address countable income, countable assets, essential versus nonessential property, and workfare.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 12-20-5.5-2 – Standards Content Income thresholds generally rise with household size, and Center Township reviews each application individually based on your full financial picture.4IN.gov. Center Township 49 – Township Assistance
One rule catches people by surprise. If the trustee refers you to another public benefits program, you have 15 days to apply for it. Miss that window and you’re ineligible for township assistance for 60 days.2State Board of Accounts. Township Assistance
If this is a repeat application and you have a relative living in the township who could help, the trustee is required to contact that relative and ask them to assist before approving you again.2State Board of Accounts. Township Assistance
How to Apply
Call the office to set up an intake interview. You’ll complete the application and affidavit prescribed by the State Board of Accounts, and every adult in your household must sign both the application and a consent form letting the trustee verify what you’ve put down.4IN.gov. Center Township 49 – Township Assistance If you have a disability, can’t read easily, or don’t write in English, the office is required by law to help you fill it out.
Bring documents that back up what you’re asking for. At minimum: proof of identity, your household income for the past 30 days, your lease or mortgage statement, and the actual bill or shutoff notice tied to your request. The state application form asks for Social Security numbers but marks them optional.5State Board of Accounts. Township Form TA-1 – Application for Township Assistance Call ahead to confirm the exact list for your situation. Once the office requests additional documents from you, you generally have 72 hours to deliver them.
An approved application stays valid for 180 days. If you need more help after that initial decision, you’ll file a new affidavit explaining how your circumstances have changed since the last one.
The 72-Hour Decision Rule
After you submit a complete application, the trustee has 72 hours to mail or hand you a written decision, not counting weekends or state holidays. That notice has to spell out what was approved, what was denied or only partially granted, the reasons for any denial, and how to appeal.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 12-20-6-8 – Notice of Action Taken Appeals
The clock starts when the application is complete, not when you walk in. An application isn’t complete until every adult in the household has signed everything the trustee needs.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 12-20-6-8 – Notice of Action Taken Appeals A missing signature resets the timeline, so check every page before you leave.
If You’re Denied
You can appeal to the Marion County Board of Commissioners. File the appeal in writing within 15 days of the date on the denial notice.4IN.gov. Center Township 49 – Township Assistance The board holds a hearing, reviews the trustee’s decision, and issues its own written ruling. If that ruling still goes against you, Indiana law allows a further appeal to the circuit or superior court.
Things That Can Disqualify You
Some circumstances shut you out of the program entirely, and the trustee can’t waive these periods:2State Board of Accounts. Township Assistance
- A misdemeanor conviction blocks assistance for one year.
- A felony conviction blocks assistance for 10 years.
- A finding of township assistance fraud blocks you for 30 years.
- Failing to apply for a referred benefit within 15 days blocks you for 60 days.
The fraud penalty effectively ends access for most people. If you’re asked to sign anything you don’t fully understand, ask before signing.
Work Search and Workfare
If you or anyone in your household is physically able to work, the trustee will require active job searching as a condition of help. The office can refuse assistance until it’s satisfied that able-bodied household members are genuinely looking.2State Board of Accounts. Township Assistance Recipients may also be assigned workfare, meaning labor performed for the township roughly equal in value to the aid received. Able-bodied recipients can’t opt out, and refusing to participate can end benefits.
Medical Help the Trustee Can Provide
Medical assistance through the trustee is broader than many applicants realize. Indiana law requires the trustee to provide medical help to residents who can’t get it through Medicaid, another government program, or private insurance. If your insurance denies a service because of a deductible or policy limit, the trustee can pay what your plan refused.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 12-20-16-2 – Medical Assistance Necessity
Covered services include prescription drugs in up to a 30-day supply, physician office visits, dental care to relieve pain or infection, emergency room treatment, lab work and X-rays ordered by a doctor, specialist referrals, physical therapy, eyeglasses, prosthesis repair or replacement, and insulin with the supplies needed to administer it. The trustee can also provide interim medical coverage while your Medicaid application is pending, as long as you are cooperating with that application.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 12-20-16-2 – Medical Assistance Necessity
Representative Payee Program
Center Township also runs a Representative Payee Program for Marion County residents who receive government benefits but have been certified by a physician as unable to manage their own finances due to a medical condition. There’s no age requirement, and you don’t need to be a current township assistance recipient to qualify.4IN.gov. Center Township 49 – Township Assistance The office manages the participant’s benefit payments each month and makes sure rent, utilities, and other necessities are paid before the money runs out.