Camden County Establishes Bridge Loans to Help Disabled Children

The Camden County Board of Freeholders has established a groundbreaking program to help parents access the funds they need for their children, without destroying the family’s financial future.

Camden County has established Camden County Catastrophic Illness in Children Bridge Loans that families can use to make the initial purchase or down payment on equipment and services through the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund (CICRF).

The CICRF was created to help middle class families deal with the costs associated with caring for seriously ill or disabled children.

However, CICRF money is only available to families as a reimbursement, Camden County Freeholder Deputy Director Ed McDonnell, liaison to the Division of Programming for People with Disabilities, said.

“For many middle class families, that requirement is a deal breaker,” McDonnell said. “They just don’t have enough cash to make the original purchase or down payment.”

Bridge loans of up to $5,000 are available from the county, and the county is later repaid by CICRF. Families can use the loans to make the initial purchase or down payment while they wait for reimbursement.

For those who qualify, the fund will often pay the entire cost of such things as modifications to a bathroom in the home, so that the doorway is wide enough, and the sink low enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

It can also pay to add a ramp or a chair lift in a home, or to purchase or modify a van that can be used to transport a child in a wheelchair.

For information, call the Camden County Improvement Authority at 856-751-2242.