Government Grants for Debt Relief: Fact or Rumor?

Search on the Internet for debt relief and you will find hundreds of links to pages promising that there are Federal grants available consumers get relief from the personal debts. The idea that you can apply for a grant and receive enough money to pay off all of your debts is appealing to many consumers, so appealing that they are willing to pay a fee to learn the secrets. So, is it true? Is there debt relief available from the government? The answer is Yes and No. The good news is that there is government assistance available to help with personal debt, including mortgages. Even better news is that you don't have to pay anyone to gain access to the information about the variety of assistance offered to citizens by the government. In most cases a simple keyword search on government sites can provide you with all of the information you need. The bad news is that the rumors about government assistance for help with debt have been greatly exaggerated and you are unlikely to find any direct aid that will allow you to pay off all of your debts from one magical check delivered to you by the federal or state government. These rumors are spread by companies that will charge you for access to information that you can already get for free and you will be sorely disappointed when you get it. Paying a visit to the main website for the United States Federal Government and typing debt relief into the search box there will provide you with a wealth of information about the types of assistance made available to citizens by the United States government. You may not find an application to have your credit card debt erased, but you will find information on everything from Mortgage and foreclosure assistance, to assistance with student loan debt and tax credits, rebates and incentives. Assistance programs and incentives are the most usual methods for the Federal government to provide citizens with relief. The United States government does provide grants to non profit debt counseling companies, who in turn help consumers deal with the debt that they have. Performing the same, or similar searches on your state and county websites may reveal further assistance programs. Some of these programs are accessible only by working with your debt holders, refinancing or consolidating with a new lender. There are also some legitimate services that can help you to understand and take advantage of government assistance programs, keep in mind that they are different and provide more services than those companies seeking to sell you a packet of information already available to you. Legitimate services will work with you on understanding these programs and accessing them. Often the legitimate providers of such services are lenders who want to work with you or credit counseling agencies. So perhaps it is not the magic solution to making our debts disappear, but the truth is there are government programs out there designed to help consumers resolve their debt issues and we can learn about and take advantage of those programs without having to pay someone to provide us with information that the government makes available for free.

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