Compassion Can't Wait
Urgent Family Assistance · About this organization
What you get
Money toward your household bills, food and travel when your child’s critical illness leaves you in financial crisis. Your social worker asks the fund to review the urgent expenses.
How to start
Your hospital social worker emails info@compassioncantwait.org to explain your urgent bills and ask what documents to send.
Good to know
- You need to be a single parent in financial crisis while your child is critically or terminally ill.
- The fund describes a 24-hour turnaround. Have your social worker confirm timing before you rely on a payment.
The details, as published
You can ask for urgent financial help as a single parent or caregiver in financial crisis while your child is critically or terminally ill. The fund has helped with rent or mortgage, utilities and phone, insurance premiums, groceries and meals, gas and transportation, car costs and funeral expenses. Have your hospital social worker confirm whether your request can include prescriptions and contact the fund on your behalf.
What help you may get
Household Bills And Cash Assistance
Housing and utilities
Case-specific urgent help may cover rent, mortgage, phone, utilities, insurance premiums, car payments, and similar essential bills.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- rent
- mortgage
- phone
- utilities
- insurance premiums
- car payment
- Published case examples vary; no current cap is stated.
Meals And Food
Food and meals
Case-specific assistance may include groceries, grocery cards, meal vouchers, and food essentials.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- groceries
- meal vouchers
Travel And Transportation
Transportation
Case-specific help may include gas cards, parking, travel, car repair, or a vehicle down payment needed to reach the child or hospital.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- gas
- parking
- travel
- vehicle repair or down payment
Medical And Insurance Costs
Medication and medical costs
Have your hospital social worker confirm whether the fund can pay your insurance premiums or urgent medication expenses.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- insurance premiums
- prescription medication
- All approved urgent expenses are determined together as one case-specific assistance package.
Why this may help
Travel And Transportation: The emergency help can cover gas, parking or a vehicle repair needed to reach your child or the hospital.
Meals And Food: Groceries and meal vouchers can be included in an emergency assistance request.
Medical And Insurance Costs: Urgent prescription costs and insurance premiums are among the expenses the fund has helped pay.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. A child with B-ALL can fit when the illness is critical or terminal and the single-parent family is in financial crisis.
Age
The program does not publish an age limit.
- The official site uses 'child' but publishes no numerical age limit.
Treatment status
Active Treatment, Relapse Or Recurrence, Palliative Or Hospice, Bereavement
- The program focuses on catastrophic illness and the caregiver's need to remain at the child's bedside.
- The caregiver must be a single parent facing financial crisis.
Financial need is required.
- No numeric income ceiling is published.
- Urgent need is reviewed case by case through a social worker.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
Residence coverage is not published clearly; confirm with the program.
- The site shows assistance at hospitals in multiple states but does not publish a residence rule.
Where your child is treated
Treatment-location rules are not published clearly; confirm with the program.
- A hospital social worker is the published contact, but no hospital network restriction is stated.
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? Yes. Ask your child’s social worker or care team to begin the request.
Who can start: Social Worker
- Ask the child's hospital social worker to contact Compassion Can't Wait and explain the urgent financial crisis.
- Email info@compassioncantwait.org or call 310-276-7111 on the family's behalf and request current intake instructions.
- Provide only the current case facts and documents requested through the private intake process and correspond with program staff.
Ways to apply or ask
- Email · info@compassioncantwait.org — Official published intake contact for a family's social worker.
- Phone · 310-276-7111 — Labeled 'By Social Worker' on the contact page.
Documents to prepare
The program does not publish a document checklist. Ask before gathering paperwork.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Hospital Mediated |
| Funding or space | Call To Confirm |
| Application window | Call First |
| Last checked | Sep 25, 2026 |
- Current funding and the referenced Request for Assistance form are not publicly verifiable; social-worker email and phone remain published.
- The site does not publish a deadline, funding status, or current form link.
- The organization describes a 24-hour turnaround, but individual eligibility and payment timing should be confirmed.
Limitations and things to confirm
- You need to be a single parent in financial crisis.
- Your child needs to be critically or terminally ill, rather than simply having extra costs during treatment.
- Your hospital social worker contacts the fund for you and confirms the current award cap and required documents before requesting payment.
- What residence or treating-hospital restrictions apply?
- What current documents, award caps, funding limits, and expense categories apply?
- GPT Pro run62 (2026-09-25): Is the advertised 24-hour turnaround still achievable, and what step starts that clock?
- GPT Pro run62 (2026-09-25): What current cap, repeat-request rule and documents apply to an emergency request?
- GPT Pro run62 (2026-09-25): Can a new request include prescription medication or funeral costs, and are there treating-hospital restrictions?
Official sources
Program details were last verified Sep 25, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- Our Organization · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Contact · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Compassion Can't Wait · checked Aug 27, 2026