Grant is designed to prevent normally self-sufficient but low-income households from entering the cycle of poverty by helping them to afford short-term emergency expenses that would otherwise pose a tremendous hardship for the grant applicant. A Self-Sufficiency grant would help a low-income but otherwise self-sufficient household to afford: - The cost of a medical appointment, an auto repair, an insurance deductible, an unusually large utility bill, or virtually any other type of unexpected emergency expense when remitting payment for the unusual expense would place the grant applicant in a situation where he or she could no longer afford a critical regular bill, like his or her monthly rent; or - The cost of a regular monthly bill, like rent, when the applicant can document either that he or she has already received an paid for a short-term emergency expense like those described above, or that s/he has experienced a documentable, short-term loss of income (for example, the loss of income that resulted from an applicant having to take an unpaid week off from work due to illness.)