Find Financial Assistance Near You

A Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) isn't tied to one city. Under federal rules you can usually take it anywhere in the country that has a voucher program. This is called portability. It takes paperwork from two housing agencies, and timing matters, so here's how to move without losing your assistance. AT A GLANCE The right: Voucher families can move their assistance to any area in the U.S. served by a housing agency that runs a voucher program. Main exception: If you didn't

Most college students who are enrolled at least half-time can't get SNAP unless they meet a specific exemption. There are ten of them, and many students qualify without knowing it: working 20 hours a week, having federal work-study, raising a young child, or being in a job-training program. Here's how each exemption works and how to prove it. AT A GLANCE The rule: If you're enrolled at least half-time in college or a trade school, you need an exemption to get SNAP. You still

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, usually called CSFP or the "senior food box," gives people 60 and older a free monthly package of shelf-stable USDA foods. It's separate from SNAP, it doesn't reduce your other benefits, and the income limit is higher than many seniors expect. Here's how it works and how to sign up. AT A GLANCE Who: People 60 or older with household income at or below the state's limit. Federal rules cap that limit at 150% of the poverty guidelines. 20

Head Start is free, federally funded early learning for kids from birth to age 5. Some programs also serve pregnant women. It's not a voucher you take to a daycare. You enroll with a local program, and spots go first to the families who need them most. This guide covers who qualifies, how income gets counted, and how to get your child on the list. AT A GLANCE Cost: Free for eligible families. Programs can't charge fees for Head Start services, field trips included. Ages: Earl

If you served in the military and your family is about to lose housing, or already has, there's a VA-funded program that can pay rent, deposits and utility bills directly to the landlord or utility. It's called Supportive Services for Veteran Families, or SSVF, and it's run through local nonprofits rather than VA offices. Here's who it covers, what it pays for, and how to reach an intake worker. AT A GLANCE Who it serves: Veteran families with income at or below 50% of area m

If SNAP or Cash Assistance disappeared from your NYC EBT card, the rules are different. Here is how to secure your card, claim eligible stolen cash benefits, and find food help.

If you live in Denver and groceries are eating your budget, there are two tracks of help. SNAP puts a monthly food benefit on an EBT card, and you apply through Denver Human Services. Free food from pantries, school meals and youth meal sites needs no application at all. This guide covers how to apply, the federal rule changes Denver is warning about, and the extras SNAP unlocks. AT A GLANCE Apply for SNAP: online through Colorado PEAK, by phone help at 720-944-4347, by mail

Salt Lake City no longer sells its discounted Hive Pass. If you used it, or you're simply tired of paying $2.50 a ride, the main option left is UTA's reduced fare. It costs $1 a trip on buses, TRAX and the S-Line, and on local service it never charges more than $8 in a week. You qualify through income, a state benefit, age or a disability. Students in the Salt Lake City School District ride free, and anyone can ride free in the downtown free fare zone. This guide shows how to