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The Air Force Aid Society is the official charity of the U.S. Air Force, assisting Airmen and their families who may be in distress due to financial struggles.
Two ways the AFAS assists the U.S. Air Force community is through no-interest Housing Assistance
Loan Overseas program and Falcon loans.
“A Falcon loan is an interest-free loan of up to $750 for emergency situations,” said Kyle Lambert, 86th Force Support Squadron Airman & Family Readiness Center assistant Air Force Aid officer. “The Falcon loan gives Airmen another option so they can avoid taking out predatory loans.”
The Falcon loan covers basic living expenses, some vehicle expenses, emergency travel, child care, and medical and dental care that TRICARE might not cover.
“To be eligible for a Falcon loan, Airmen must be on active duty, Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard members on Title 10 orders (for more than 15 days), or a spouse with power of attorney stationed at an Air Force base with an A&FRC, and cannot have a current Air Force Aid Society loan,” said Heidi Goodbar, 86th FSS A&FRC Air Force aid officer.
Like other AFAS loans, the HALO program can be used as an advance for up-front costs like rent, security deposits and moving costs in order to relieve the financial stress of PCSing overseas.
“Some times the finance office gets backed up and can take a couple weeks to reimburse Airmen, that’s when the HALO program (is useful). Another way it can help is with Airmen who come overseas without a government travel card and don’t live in the dorms,” Lambert said. “They are generally paying for lodging out of pocket before filing for a travel voucher, so it can be a severe hardship for those Airmen that are faced with this situation.”
The A&FRC, along with AFAS, is here to assist Airmen and their families by providing them with all the resources they need to take care of themselves and continue to support the Air Force mission.
For more information, call the Ramstein A&FRC at 480-5100/5900 or 011-49-6371-47-5100/5900, or visit www.afas.org.
