Winterization Cash Assistance for Vulnerable and At-Risk Families Affected by COVID-19 ICMC is proposing a quick-impact, cash-assistance intervention to respond to the immediate needs of families with specific risk factors and vulnerabilities further exacerbated during the winter season. Building on ICMC’s extensive experience as a key provider of cash-based assistance and specifically winterization cash assistance, the project will address time-sensitive needs for refugees and host communities in Irbid, Mafraq, Zarqa, Jerash and Ajloun. Households living in urban and rural areas will be prioritized, ensuring the project’s wide geographic coverage. Winterization cash assistance will complement other protection services already provided by ICMC, ensuring a comprehensive and holistic assistance approach. ICMC’s project is designed to reflect the priorities of the Winterization Task Force for 2020-2021, the JHF’s second allocation, as well as the Jordan Response Plan (JRP) and the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) for COVID-19. By designing a project that will support the wider goals of the sector and overall response in Jordan, ICMC will ensure its assistance is not duplicated with other actors, and that the assistance provided has the farthest reach. ICMC has a vast outreach network and proven experience assessing the needs of vulnerable beneficiaries. The project will outreach a total of 800 vulnerable households and 775 will be assisted. Identification of beneficiaries will take place not only through ICMC’s comprehensive outreach and vulnerability assessment process, but also through referrals from community-based organizations, receipt of lists from UNHCR of cases that have already undergone the VAF, and lists from the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) of vulnerable Jordanians. Through each of these channels, and use of its own vulnerability assessment tool, ICMC will uphold its commitment to assisting the most at-risk families and individuals who otherwise would not meet their urgent needs during the winter period. ICMC’s assessment tool is closely aligned with UNHCR’s VAF and includes protection related indicators to identify risks associated with gender, age, ability, and family composition to determine overall need and vulnerability. The tool also includes the short set of Washington Group questions to ensure persons with disabilities are identified through an established and recognized method. The tool is regularly updated to include recommendations from the working groups and task forces in which ICMC participates.  ICMC’s assessment tool will ensure highly vulnerable families with protection needs due to their specific profiles are prioritized including women and older individuals (age 60+) at risk, people with disabilities, girls and boys at risk, and single parents/caregivers. Examples of risks faced by these specific groups may include but are not limited to being a survivor of GBV, high levels of household debt, threat of eviction, living in sub-standard conditions, individuals that have serious medical conditions or chronic illnesses, and those at risk of further protection issues. In accordance with the Winterization Task Force’s Standards this year, assistance will be provided based on family size, using the established values for families who do not receive other cash-assistance. Unconditional cash assistance will afford families dignity and choice in meeting their winter needs and will be distributed in a manner that is both accessible and safe. Specifically, cash will either be distributed through a contracted money lender (Alawneh) in centrally located and accessible branches or through the Common Cash Facility (CCF). Through this project, ICMC aims to complement existing efforts to meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable families, recognizing that a high need remains for targeted, winterization support this year. To document the impact of the project, ICMC will utilize the Task Force’s common PDM tool, contributing to collective learning within the Basic Needs sector.