The Hardship Fund is available to CUPE local 4163 Component 1 members who have experienced a recent, unexpected hardship that resulted in an unexpected financial shortage. This fund exists to assist members who are experiencing an unexpected expense that leaves them in financial hardship. The fund is allocated to cover expenses to a maximum of $1000 and funding is at the discretion of the Hardship Committee.
CRITERIA
Prior to applying:
- You must have held a Component 1 position that finished no later than 12 months prior to your application.
- You must have clear documentation pertaining to the unexpected financial hardship. Examples of documents could include any or all of the following:
a. Original receipts for items or services purchased
b. Any proof of payment documents (e.g. bills)
c. Proof of cost documents (e.g. letters from landlords or leases that prove rent costs, or screenshots/photos of prices of items that need to be purchased, or replaced)
d. Incident report numbers (e.g. police report numbers)
e. Original price quotes (medical, legal, counselling, or anything else that comes in the form of a quote)
f. Insurance claims
- The Hardship Fund does not cover expenses related to:
a. Tuition fees
b. Replacement of non assistive technology e.g. computers/laptops,
c. Medical expenses otherwise covered by an available on campus health plan.
d. Conference costs (go to our Conference Fund Application for funding for conferences)
e. Fieldwork costs, or expenses related to co-op or exchange placements
f. Moving or rental fees (with the exception of moves for a proven and unexpected reason not covered by compensation in the Residential Tenancy Act)
g. Loan repayment
h. Expenses of any type not incurred directly by the member.
i. Cellphone/Internet bills
- The following are examples of cases where applying to the Hardship Fund would be appropriate. Applicants are not limited to applying to the fund for these reasons alone. These are merely examples that will inform applicants of the requirements.
a. A relative or close friend is critically ill or has passed away and the applicant requires transportation fare to visit them: Applicant is to provide transportation receipts as well as confirmation from a doctor that the person being visited is critically ill.
b. An applicant who owns a home has recently purchased or repaired a vital appliance in their home (e.g. a fridge, stove, toilet, or heating furnace): Applicant should provide a copy of their mortgage as proof that they own the home. Applicant must also disclose their income as proof that they are unable to replace or repair the item with their current income. Applicant must provide proof of purchase or proof of repair document highlighting the repair/replacement cost of the item.
c. An applicant is renting a home that is infested with bed bugs: Provide with receipts for items that need to be replaced, along with, if possible, a letter from the landlord confirming that the home is indeed infested., or receipt/quote from an exterminator.
In each application, the documentation chronicles for members of the Hardship Committee the event(s) of the unexpected financial hardship. If an event (death) is responsible for the financial hardship, merely providing a receipt (for travel cost) for reimbursement is insufficient. Documentation that this event occurred is also required (e.g. death certificate). For example, if an applicant needs to move out of their old home, and into a new one they will need to provide documentation quoting the cost of the new home, as well as documentation that explains the need to vacate (there are exceptions, e.g. violence in the home). All applications to be adjudicated by the Hardship Committee must contain documents listed above to be evaluated for reimbursement.
PLEASE NOTE: In order to comply with privacy regulations, applications must be sent to our comp1funding@cupe4163.ca account.
Download the Fillable PDF Application: hardship-application-fillable-rev-Sep25