Every guide, in one place
59 guides to real programmes, each answering one question properly: what it is, who usually qualifies, how to apply, what to bring, and what people miss.
Rent & housing
How to apply for Section 8 housingTo apply for Section 8, contact the Public Housing Agency (PHA) that serves the area where you want to live and apply when its Housing Choice…Read the guide →How to apply for public housingApply for public housing through your local Public Housing Agency when its public housing waiting list is open. Eligibility depends on income,…Read the guide →How to get emergency help paying rentTo get emergency help paying rent, call 211 and ask which rental assistance programmes are open in your county, then apply to every one you…Read the guide →Got an eviction notice? What to do in the next 7 daysIf you get an eviction notice, do not move out and do not ignore it. Read what type of notice it is and its deadline, call free legal aid…Read the guide →How to find open Section 8 and housing waiting listsTo find open housing waiting lists, check the websites of every Public Housing Agency within the area you would live, your state's housing finance…Read the guide →How to find income-restricted apartments near youIncome-restricted apartments, usually financed through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), rent some or all units below market to…Read the guide →Homeless or about to be? How to find emergency shelter tonightIf you need shelter tonight, call 211, which connects to your area's homelessness services and shelters, or contact your local coordinated entry…Read the guide →How to get help paying a security deposit and first month's rentTo get help with a security deposit, call 211 and ask about deposit assistance from your county, community action agency, and charities. If you…Read the guide →Free HUD housing counselling: what it is and how to get itHUD-approved housing counselling is free or low-cost advice from agencies certified by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, covering…Read the guide →Housing help for homeless and at-risk veterans (HUD-VASH and SSVF)Veterans who are homeless or at risk should call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-424-3838, available 24/7, or visit any VA…Read the guide →Behind on your mortgage? How to avoid foreclosureIf you are behind on your mortgage, contact your loan servicer immediately and ask about forbearance, a repayment plan or a loan modification, and…Read the guide →Affordable senior housing: how to apply for Section 202 and senior apartmentsSection 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly provides subsidised apartments for very low-income households with at least one member aged 62 or…Read the guide →Affordable housing for people with disabilitiesPeople with disabilities can apply for Section 811 supportive housing, mainstream vouchers for non-elderly disabled households, accessible units…Read the guide →Home repair grants and loans for low-income homeownersLow-income homeowners can find repair help through USDA Section 504 Home Repair loans and grants (grants for those 62+ in rural areas), the…Read the guide →
Utilities & internet
Got a utility shutoff notice? How to keep your power and heat onIf you get a utility shutoff notice, call your utility before the shutoff date and ask for a payment arrangement and its hardship fund; call 211…Read the guide →Free home weatherization: insulation, repairs and lower energy billsThe Weatherization Assistance Program provides free energy-efficiency improvements - insulation, air sealing, heating system repair or…Read the guide →How to get a Lifeline phone or internet discountLifeline gives one monthly discount per household on phone or internet service from a participating provider. You qualify if your income is below…Read the guide →Behind on utility bills? Payment plans, discount rates and hardship fundsCall your utility's customer service line and ask for four things: a deferred payment arrangement for your past-due balance, the company's…Read the guide →How a medical certificate can stop your power or gas being shut offIn most states, if a licensed medical provider certifies that disconnecting electricity or gas would seriously harm the health of someone living…Read the guide →Low-cost internet for low-income families after ACP endedFor low-cost internet, check whether your internet provider runs a low-income plan for households on Medicaid, SSI, public housing or similar…Read the guide →Can't pay your water bill? Where to get help and stop a water shutoffIf you cannot pay your water bill, call your water utility and ask for a payment plan, any low-income or senior discount, and its customer…Read the guide →
Healthcare & insurance
How to apply for Medicaid and find out if you qualifyApply for Medicaid through your state Medicaid agency or HealthCare.gov, which forwards eligible applications to your state. Eligibility depends…Read the guide →How to get free or low-cost health insurance for your kids (CHIP)CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program, provides low-cost health coverage for children up to age 19 in families that earn too much for…Read the guide →How to get affordable health insurance on the ACA MarketplaceBuy coverage on HealthCare.gov or your state's own marketplace during open enrolment each autumn, or within 60 days of a qualifying life event…Read the guide →Missed open enrolment? How to get health insurance with a Special Enrollment PeriodA Special Enrollment Period (SEP) lets you enrol in a Marketplace plan outside open enrolment, usually within 60 days of a qualifying life event:…Read the guide →Medicare Savings Programs: how to get help paying Medicare premiumsMedicare Savings Programs (MSPs) are run by state Medicaid agencies and help people on Medicare pay costs. The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary…Read the guide →Extra Help: how to lower your Medicare prescription drug costsExtra Help, also called the Part D Low-Income Subsidy, pays most or all of your Medicare drug plan premium and deductible and lowers copays for…Read the guide →Low-cost doctor visits without insurance: community health centresCommunity health centres, also called federally qualified health centres (FQHCs), provide primary care, and often dental, behavioural health and…Read the guide →Can't pay a hospital bill? How to get it reduced or forgivenTo reduce a hospital bill, ask the hospital's billing office for its financial assistance (charity care) application and apply - nonprofit…Read the guide →Can't afford your medication? Free and low-cost prescription helpTo lower prescription costs, ask your doctor about generics or cheaper alternatives; check whether the manufacturer runs a patient assistance…Read the guide →Where to get free or low-cost dental careFor low-cost dental care, try a community health centre with a dental clinic (sliding fees by income), a dental school clinic (reduced prices,…Read the guide →Free and low-cost mental health care and therapyIf you are in crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and available 24/7. For ongoing low-cost care, contact your…Read the guide →Lost your Medicaid? What to do next to get covered againIf your Medicaid ended, read the termination notice to see why. If it was for missing paperwork, contact your state Medicaid agency right away -…Read the guide →Pregnant without insurance? How to get Medicaid for pregnancyApply for pregnancy Medicaid through your state Medicaid agency or HealthCare.gov as soon as you know you are pregnant - there is no enrolment…Read the guide →How to get free or low-cost eye exams and glassesFor free or low-cost vision care, check Medicaid and CHIP (children's vision exams and glasses are covered; adult coverage varies by state); ask…Read the guide →
Financial help
How to apply for TANF cash assistance for familiesApply for TANF through your state's social services or human services agency, usually on the same application as Medicaid and, in many states,…Read the guide →How to file for unemployment benefits after losing your jobFile for unemployment with your state's unemployment insurance agency - usually online - the same week you lose your job. You generally qualify if…Read the guide →How to apply for SSI if you are older, blind or disabled with low incomeApply for SSI through the Social Security Administration online (for some applicants), by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or at a local office. You must…Read the guide →How to apply for Social Security disability (SSDI)Apply for SSDI with the Social Security Administration online, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or in person. You need enough recent work credits and a…Read the guide →Earned Income Tax Credit: do you qualify and how to claim itThe EITC is a refundable federal tax credit for people who work and have low to moderate earned income. You claim it by filing a federal tax…Read the guide →Child Tax Credit: how much you can get and how to claim itThe Child Tax Credit (CTC) is claimed on your federal tax return for each qualifying child under 17 with a valid Social Security number. Part of…Read the guide →Free tax filing help near you: VITA and TCEVITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) offers free tax preparation by IRS-certified volunteers for people who generally earn under a set income…Read the guide →Overwhelmed by debt? Free nonprofit credit counselling and your optionsStart with a free session at a nonprofit credit counselling agency accredited by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Financial…Read the guide →How to get a free lawyer for eviction, benefits, debt or family problemsFree civil legal aid is provided by nonprofit legal aid organisations, many funded by the Legal Services Corporation, to people with low income.…Read the guide →Can't pay your taxes? IRS payment plans and hardship optionsIf you owe taxes you cannot pay, file your return on time anyway to avoid the larger failure-to-file penalty, then contact the IRS about a payment…Read the guide →How to get help paying for child careApply for a child care subsidy through your state's Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) agency - often the human services department or a local…Read the guide →Need money urgently? Where to find emergency financial helpFor emergency financial help, call 211 and ask about one-time assistance from community action agencies, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities,…Read the guide →Benefits denied? How to appeal Medicaid, TANF, SSI, unemployment and moreTo appeal a benefits denial, read the notice for the reason and deadline, request an appeal or fair hearing in writing before the deadline, ask to…Read the guide →Leaving an abusive relationship: financial help, housing and safety resourcesIf you are experiencing abuse, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (or text START to 88788) for confidential support and…Read the guide →
Education & career
How to fill out the FAFSA and get free money for collegeComplete the FAFSA free at StudentAid.gov as soon as it opens for the academic year you will attend. Create StudentAid.gov accounts for yourself…Read the guide →Pell Grant: how much you can get and how to qualifyPell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students with financial need based on the FAFSA. The amount depends on your Student Aid Index, cost of…Read the guide →Free job training near you through American Job Centers (WIOA)Visit your local American Job Center (find it at CareerOneStop or 1-877-872-5627) and ask about WIOA services. Everyone can use basic career…Read the guide →Laid off? Free retraining and job help for dislocated workersIf you were laid off, received a layoff notice, lost work because your business closed, or are a displaced homemaker, visit an American Job Center…Read the guide →How to find a paid apprenticeship and earn while you learnFind registered apprenticeships through Apprenticeship.gov's job finder, your American Job Center, unions, employers and community colleges.…Read the guide →Job Corps: free job training, housing and meals for ages 16 to 24Job Corps serves people aged 16 to 24 who meet income guidelines and other criteria. It offers free career technical training, high school diploma…Read the guide →How to get your GED or high school equivalency for freeTo earn a high school equivalency, take your state's approved test - the GED, HiSET or a state-specific exam - after preparing through free adult…Read the guide →Free community college: does your state cover tuition?Many states and local communities run 'promise' programmes that cover community college tuition for eligible residents, often for recent high…Read the guide →Free English (ESL) and adult education classes near youFind free ESL and adult education classes through your state adult education office, local school district, community college, library or 211.…Read the guide →Federal Work-Study: how to get a part-time job that pays for collegeFederal Work-Study (FWS) is awarded through the FAFSA to students with financial need at participating schools. If your aid offer includes…Read the guide →