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About Low Income Relief

About Low Income Relief

Low Income Relief is a free information service that helps low income people across America save money and get free stuff. We connect people with benefits, programs and resources in their local communities (such as food banks and homeless shelters). We also research and report on helpful nationwide, state and local programs that help alleviate poverty (such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Section 8, and more).

We’re here to help people in poverty.

At Low Income Relief, we understand the struggle. The goal of everything we write and everything we do is to put help in the hands of those who need it most.

Specifically, our mission is to help low income people get the help they need to make ends meet. We do this by covering a diverse range of topics that are both local and nationwide.

Who (and how) does Low Income Relief help?

We help by providing factual information about low income benefits, programs and resources around the United States. Our audience is very diverse, and includes seniors, young families, single mothers, disabled veterans and more.

You don’t have to take our word for it, though! Our readers will tell you how much we’ve helped them in their own words. Check out our review page to see how we’ve helped our readers.

Why should I trust Low Income Relief?

Our first and primary goal is to help others. Everyone who submits content for Low Income Relief follows a strict set of guidelines and best practices to ensure that our information is accurate. We also have a dedicated fact-checker who reviews our older content to ensure that it’s accurate and up-to-date.

The majority of content on the website is written by Nicole Thelin, our founder. Nicole has over 20 years of experience as a journalist and researcher. Low Income Relief began after her personal experiences with poverty, as described below. She has specialized in researching low income topics since 2013.

As you can see in the Team section below, the majority of our current contributors are social workers who have hands-on experience assisting low income clients. We also have a fact-checker that keeps our content updated and accurate.

Low Income Relief is part of The Lighthouse Information Network LLC, which is owned solely by Nicole Thelin. This is Nicole’s content creation company, which operates other websites like GetHelpMap.com, ThatWeirdFamily.com and more. This business is registered in the state of Utah and its entity number is 11271209-0160.

Low Income Relief has been featured in many media outlets including:

How does Low Income Relief make money?

This is a question that we’re often asked. Low Income Relief makes money through the use of display advertising and affiliate programs. We partner with some excellent brands, such as Ibotta and Amazon, who offer products and discounts that benefit with low income families.

Integrity is more important to us than money. We carefully vet every advertiser, sponsor, and affiliate program that we participate in. We will not promote any product, service, or company that is harmful to or predatory toward our audience. We only accept partnerships and deals for products that we feel are genuinely helpful to our audience.

If you would like to support us financially, please purchase a YouTube channel membership (starting at just 99 cents per month!).

How did Low Income Relief start?

Low Income Relief began from the struggle that Nicole and her family experienced in 2007.

When their family faced homelessness after her husband’s abrupt medical discharge from the US Army, she started researching programs that could help them get back on their feet. With the resources she found, she was able to gather enough donations and pledges to help her family move into a low income housing unit in the next town over. One agency supplied furniture; a food bank stocked their shelves with food. It was a miracle!

Low Income Relief began in the Rosecrest Apartments Talus Issaquah WA
Low Income Housing

In the years that followed, Nicole helped friends and family find help with their needs, too. She was constantly being asked to help others find resources with rent, food, medical coverage, dental care, veterinary expenses, transportation and more.

Eventually, she realized that she could use my experience as a researcher and writer to help a much larger audience. She purchased the Low Income Relief domain in 2013 and has been researching low income assistance programs for people all over America since then.

Meet the Low Income Relief Team

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Nicole Thelin

Founder

Nicole has over 20 years of journalism and research experience. Her work has been featured in USA Today, Livestrong.com, eHow.com, The Daily Herald, The Chronicle and more. She has been researching and reporting on low income topics full-time for almost 10 years.

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AnnElyse Tews

Editor

AnnElyse followed her passion into the medical field and graduated with honors. Now she uses her meticulous editing skills to help perfect our content.

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Jessika Saunders

Fact-Checker

A wife and mother of two, Jessika graduated with a Creative Writing degree from UNC – Wilmington. She edits, writes, and teaches fitness classes during the week, and she loves practicing Japanese after spending two and a half years in Japan during and after college.  

Diannalynn Claridge, Low Income Relief Fact-Checking team

Diannalynn Claridge

Fact-Checker

Diannalynn Claridge received her B.S. in Psychology from Brigham Young University and her M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University. 

Marie McCollum for Low Income Relief

Marie McCollum

Author

Marie McCollum has a Masters of Social Work from the University of Georgia. She is currently the Director of Programs for a non-profit in Decatur, Georgia.

Catherine Hall

Catherine Hall

Author

Catherine Hall, LMSW is a therapist at a small group practice in New York City. She earned her master of social work degree at New York University.

Lydia Mockensturm

Lydia Mockensturm

Author

Lydia Mockensturm has a BA in English and previously taught English as a second language. As a freelance writer and editor, she’s passionate about using her research and writing experience to help others find the resources they need.

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Rachel Grayless

Author

After 27 years in law enforcement and state Veterans Affairs agencies, Rachel found herself working from home and looking for dollar-stretching resources. She helps translate government programs into easy-to-understand guides.

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Chloe Copti

Author

As a third-year English major with years of researching and writing experience, Chloe uses her experience and her passion for helping others to help you get the financial aid you deserve.

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Matthew Jones

Author

Matthew Jones is a freelancer writer and former English teacher with a BA in Film and Philosophy. If you’d like to see more of Matthew’s writing, check out his blog at Philosophy in Film.

Jessica Richburg

Jessica Richburg

Author

Jessica Richburg is a freelance writer and educator. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, she’s located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where she passes the time reading, writing, and trying not to be eaten by her feral cat.

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Kara Foley

Author

Kara is a freelance writer with experience in public policy and administration. She is passionate about helping others and spreading awareness on major global events.

Catherine Marucci

Catherine Marucci

Community Team

Catherine has been a community manager for over 10 years. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology, as well as experience in social work. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and exploring new places!

Isaac Wilson

Isaac Wilson

Community Team

Isaac Wilson is a college student who loves serving others and helping people see the good in the world. 

Tiffany Oleole

Tiffany Oleole

Admin Team

Tiffany received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Therapeutic Recreation and a minor in Gerontology from Brigham Young University. She has two beautiful children and a handsome husband from Hawaii. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Low Income Relief

As you can tell by the extensive comments below, we’ve received a lot of questions about our business. We’ve done our best to answer the most common ones here. If you have a question that isn’t answered below, please let us know!

How do I contact Low Income Relief?

The best way to reach Low Income Relief is to leave a comment on our website, social media pages, or YouTube channel. Our moderator will usually respond within 48 hours. For business matters (such as sponsorships or interview requests), you can email Nicole’s assistant at [email protected] but please understand that we can’t respond individually to everyone due to the volume of emails that we receive.

Where is Low Income Relief?

Low Income Relief is part of The Lighthouse Information Network LLC and is registered in the state of Utah. However, our business is all-remote so our team can work from anywhere. For the safety of our team members and their families, we do not list our physical location online.

Can I call Low Income Relief?

Low Income Relief does not have a public phone number. Our team is very small and very busy, so we simply do not have the time or resources to help our readers individually. If you need help, please consider chatting with LIRA on our website.

Is Low Income Relief available for interviews or speaking engagements?

YES! Nicole, the founder of Low Income Relief, is happy to participate in an interview or speak at your event. Since she has received a number of threats, all requests are screened by her assistant first. Please contact [email protected] with your request.

Dawn

Monday 4th of March 2024

I am on SSI, a senior. I have a tax question. Your website hooked me up with JustAnswer.com. It was supposed to be free. They acted like they wanted to help. They had me explain my situation, then, sent me to another page where they wanted my financial information so I could pay them. ???

Catherine Marucci

Monday 4th of March 2024

Hi Dawn. Legal Aid may be a better option if you need free advice. https://lowincomerelief.com/legal-aid/

Vageesha Somaratne

Tuesday 20th of February 2024

I can not seem to find the Youtube video on a Credit repair company that helps for free it was a 1-800 number I belive. May i please have it?

Catherine Marucci

Wednesday 21st of February 2024

Hi. I know this video mentioned CareConnect, which may be what you are thinking of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReAE9nzRFbA

Here's an article with more info: https://lowincomerelief.com/how-to-settle-debt/

CareConnect Debt Relief Line: 866-530-9949

Leon

Friday 19th of January 2024

I just watched Nicole Thelin's video titled: How to Do GoFundMe (& Actually Get Donations) -- very good! In there she talks about hiring a professional who can write the campaign. So the question is, does she offer such a service or can she recommend someone who can do a rewrite with a campaign already in motion? Thanks.

Catherine Marucci

Friday 19th of January 2024

Hi Leon. Our GoFundMe articles offers some advice on hiring. https://lowincomerelief.com/how-to-make-money-on-gofundme-23-tips/

Laura

Sunday 7th of January 2024

Does low income relief help someone get help with getting tires for my car be

Catherine Marucci

Thursday 11th of January 2024

Hi. One of these could be an option: https://lowincomerelief.com/free-car-repair-for-low-income-families/

Lorraine

Monday 25th of December 2023

Nicole, have you written a book about your experience?

Catherine Marucci

Tuesday 26th of December 2023

Hi Lorraine. You might be interested in the Kindness Chronicles! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krGSOHayQfk&ab_channel=YourFriendNicole