Air Force Aid Society provides emergency financial assistance

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mercedes Porter
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  
Air Force Aid Society is one of the emergency financial assistance funds that Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, has to offer for Air Force members and their families. The AFAS mission is to support Airmen and enhance the Air Force mission by relieving emergency financial distress, helping Airmen and their families achieve their educational goals, and improving their quality of life through proactive programs.

Tech. Sgt. Lucille Vieira, 40th Airlift Squadron C-130J Super Hercules instructor loadmaster, utilized the AFAS resources when she was in need of financial aid.

While stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Vieira fell into financial debt and experienced an account-crushing issue after moving to a new house in 2009.

“My landlord had sold my house to someone else and they already wanted to move in, which meant I had to move out,” said Vieira. “My new landlord wanted two months of security deposit and my first month’s rent, plus I also had to pay for the house I was living in while I was finding a new house. That ended up being four months worth of rent that I had to pay off that I did not have at the time.”

Her supervisor suggested that she visit the AFAS representative at the Airmen and Family Readiness Center to help get her back on track with her financial issues and debt. After helping her come up with a plan to keep her out of debt, by using an online resource called PowerPay, AFAS then gave her an interest-free loan to pay off the rent owed to her landlord.

“It’s been great ever since to not have that debt on my shoulders,” said Vieira. “I could sleep better at night and not feel like I’m drowning in debt.”

With the help of the interest-free loan to pay off her four-month debt, Vieira found the PowerPay website with useful debt and bill pay calculators to keep her budget on track.

“It was the push I needed to get my finances together,” said Vieira. “I was able to pay off about $20,000 in almost a year and a half.”

AFAS was able to help Vieira in a financial emergency, however, it’s not just emergency assistance the AFAS provides. They also help provide education support and community programs. A few community programs include Bundles for Babies, Spouse Employment Program and Heart Link Spouse Orientation Program.

Occasionally, a situation arises that does not clearly meet the criteria to obtain AFAS assistance.

“If there is a case that we cannot make a determination at Dyess, we present the case for our Airmen to the Air Force Aid Society headquarters, and they will make a decision if it falls under what they can do,” said Ron Hooks, AFAS assistance case officer.

For more information about AFAS and their programs, visit https://www.afas.org or call the Airmen and Family Readiness Center at 325-696-5999.

Editor’s note: This article is the second part of a two-part series involving Airmen who benefited from the AFAS and their programs.