Plain-language guides and a resource directory for food assistance, utility bills, internet, transportation, housing and healthcare. We point you to the official place to apply.
Popular: SNAP Utility bills Free internet Rent help Free food
Pick a topic to see step-by-step guides on who qualifies, what to bring and where to apply.
SNAP, WIC, food banks, school meals and other ways to put groceries on the table for less.
Help paying electric, gas and water bills, plus ways to lower your energy use.
Lifeline, provider discount plans and free options for staying connected.
Reduced transit fares, rides to medical appointments and ways to cut car costs.
Affordable housing programs, rental help, eviction resources and housing counselors.
Low-cost clinics, coverage options, prescription savings and help with medical bills.
Free local services, 211, legal aid, tax help and how to avoid assistance scams.
Practical, everyday ways to lower recurring bills without cutting what matters.
Researched from official government and nonprofit sources and updated when programs change.
Veterans and military families often qualify for help from more than one place: the Department of Veterans Affairs, known as the VA, state and county veteran services, and…
Read the guide: Help for Veterans and Military Families: Benefits, Housing, Food, and Support in One Place →Disability benefits are hard to understand, even for people who need them urgently. The names sound alike, the forms are long, and the rules use words that do…
Read the guide: Disability Benefits Explained in Plain Language: SSDI, SSI, and Where to Start →A water bill can be hard to pay for the same reasons any bill is hard: income dropped, hours were cut, a repair used up savings, or another…
Read the guide: Water Bill Help: How to Get Help Paying a Water or Sewer Bill →A plain-language guide to low-cost eye exams and glasses, including how to check vision coverage, where to ask about lower-cost exams, glasses help for adults and children, and scams to avoid.
Read the guide: Low-Cost Eye Care and Glasses: Exams, Coverage and Help With the Cost →A plain-language parent's guide to free and low-cost school supplies, clothing, uniforms, fee waivers and other school costs, including where to ask for help and how to avoid scams.
Read the guide: Free and Low-Cost School Supplies, Clothing and Other School Costs: A Parent’s Guide →A plain-language guide to help paying for child care, including state child care subsidies, Head Start and Early Head Start, employer and local help, what to gather, and how to avoid scams.
Read the guide: How to Get Help Paying for Child Care: Subsidies, Head Start and Other Options →Browse by topic or search for a program such as SNAP, LIHEAP or Lifeline.
Each guide explains who may qualify, what to gather and what to expect.
We link to the agency or nonprofit that runs the program. Applying is free.
Use our resource directory of national programs and finders, or dial 211 to talk with someone who knows what is available in your area.
Protect yourself from scams
Real assistance programs never charge a fee to apply. Read our short guide to spotting fake "free government money" offers. How to avoid assistance scams