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When you’re down on your luck, it’s easy to assume that there’s no help—but there are a wide range of programs and benefits in the United States that can help get you back on your feet.


The information here is by no means comprehensive—each program has its own complex rules and some benefits vary from state to state. But this list can get you started as you determine what assistance you may be qualified to receive.

How to find benefits that might help you

If you’re in a rough spot and want to know what kind of benefits you might qualify for, start with this site.




The benefits finder will ask for a sizable amount of information to help you figure out what you qualify for: you might get help with housing, food, insurance, education, and/or medical needs. Even if you don’t think that you’ll qualify for any programs, it may be worth your time to check and see what’s available.

Get help with living costs for low-income households with TANF

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a program that’s designed to help out families who need, well, temporary assistance. The program generally requires you to find at least part-time work within 24 months of first receiving benefits. The benefits cap out at 48 months for your entire lifetime.



While specific requirements vary from state to state, most states require that you participate in a work program of some kind. This program will provide you with counseling, job training, and placement services aimed at getting you back on your feet. Depending on the number of people in your household, the minimum number of hours per week the adults in the household must put in range from 30 (single-parent homes) to 55 (two-parent homes, depending on circumstances).

To get started finding benefits in your state, head to this link and select your state.


Get help on food costs with SNAP/WIC

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly referred to as “food stamps”) and the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC) are publicly funded programs that provide assistance in buying food for families. Both programs have certain sets of requirements—however, you might be automatically eligible if you qualify for TANF or some other assistance programs.


If you want to check your eligibility status, here are the most important links you should check out:

SNAP and WIC are both tied to income and are indexed to the federal poverty level. SNAP requires that your household make less than 130% of the poverty level before taxes. WIC varies by state, but federal guidelines require that the threshold be between 100% and 185% of the federal poverty level. Check this link to find the phone number for your state where you can get information.


Get assistance with living expenses with SSI

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a subset of the Social Security program that provides additional assistance to elderly, blind, or disabled citizens. If you’re currently receiving social security, you can still qualify for SSI. In general, here are the groups of people who qualify for SSI:

Adults aged 65 or older.

Blind adults or children who meet certain criteria

Disabled adults or children who meet certain criteria

You can check whether or not you qualify by using this online screening tool. Keep in mind that while the benefits come from the same department, SSI is not a Social Security benefit. Qualifying for Social Security benefits does not automatically enroll or qualify you for SSI assistance.




Get health coverage for seniors and (some) people with disabilities with Medicare

Medicare is a large and complex medical insurance program with several parts. While the program is primarily aimed at people aged 65 or over, there are certain options available for those under 65. Here are the four parts of Medicare coverage:

Finding out which parts of Medicare you qualify for and how they can help you is a vast topic that’s beyond the scope of this article, but if you want to check your own eligibility, you can do so with this tool. Even if you do qualify, it can be a mess of plans, coverage, and confusion, but you can use Medicare.gov to get information on your plan or contact someone to help you here.


Get assistance on health coverage for low-income homes with Medicaid

While Medicare is primarily aimed at people 65 and older, Medicaid is available to a considerable number of U.S. residents. Like many other programs, Medicaid is indexed to the federal poverty level. While states are allowed to expand their qualifications, the national level eligibility is income of less than 138% of the poverty level.


If you want to find out if you’re eligible for Medicaid, you can use the tool here to find out information about your state’s requirements.

Buy health insurance with the Affordable Care Act

Technically, the Affordable Care Act is not a health insurance program itself—it provides for health care exchanges that allow people to shop at both state and federal levels for insurance. The act requires most Americans to purchase insurance, though many individuals and families qualify for tax credits toward their plans.


Individuals making less than about $49,000 per year and families making less than about $100,000 per year may qualify for tax credits. These can be applied to your insurance costs in a few different ways: either by applying them directly to your premium, getting the money back at tax time, or a mix of the two.

Of course, no matter what benefits you qualify for, the ultimate goal of all of these programs is to get you back on your feet and working again. It’s not always easy to accept help when you’re down, and it certainly won’t fix everything, but every little bit helps.


This story was originally published on 10/29/13 and was updated on 7/8/19 to provide more thorough and current information.