Colorado Assistance Programs and Benefits
Free help finding assistance programs, from the Front Range to the Western Slope
A cold snap, a lost job or a rent hike can throw any Colorado household off course. Helping Hands sorts through Colorado assistance programs with you and explains how to reach the right ones.
Tell us what you're facing. We line up the programs, the eligibility basics and the county offices that can help you in Colorado.
Our Colorado coverage includes all 64 counties in Colorado. Your home might be in Denver, Colorado Springs or Aurora, in El Paso or Arapahoe County, or in a mountain town where the nearest county office sits over a pass. Our guidance is free for you.
Colorado help comes from CDHS and county human services, Health First Colorado, federal programs, food banks and nonprofits. We help you find the right starting point.
Check Your Eligibility for Free
Each program has its own test. Income, household size, age, disability, housing costs and work history can all change the result.
Helping Hands helps you figure out which programs may fit and where to apply.
Colorado Financial Assistance Programs
High rent along the Front Range, a medical bill or a sudden layoff can empty your account faster than you expect. Coloradans have several kinds of financial help to explore.
If paying for the basics has become hard, we help you find the resources that fit and show you how to apply.
Helping Hands can help you locate information about programs and resources involving:
Colorado Food Assistance and SNAP Benefits
A cart of groceries costs more than it did a few years ago, and tight budgets feel it first.
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, leads the list of Colorado food assistance programs we explain. Colorado loads SNAP benefits onto the Colorado Quest card, which you use like a debit card at approved stores.
Worried about the next grocery run? Find out whether you may qualify for SNAP.
The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) oversees SNAP and Colorado Works, and county human services offices take applications. You can apply online through Colorado PEAK.
We can also help Colorado residents locate:
Colorado Utility Bill Assistance
Colorado winters run long on the Front Range and longer in the high country, where towns like Leadville and Gunnison see snow for months. Heating bills climb, and an unpaid balance can bring a shutoff notice.
We list the utility programs Colorado households can use and who to call about each.
Resources may include information about:
LIHEAP Help in Colorado: LEAP
Colorado runs the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as the Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP), managed by the Colorado Department of Human Services.
LEAP opens each fall for the winter heating season and can also help repair or replace a broken furnace. Funding and rules change from year to year, so check the current details before you apply.
We help you find where to apply and what to gather.
Colorado Rental Assistance and Housing Assistance
Housing costs in Denver, Boulder and the mountain resort towns squeeze working families hard.
Behind on rent, facing eviction or looking for an affordable place to live? We'll track down Colorado programs and nonprofits for each of those situations.
Helping Hands provides information about housing resources that may be available to qualifying Colorado residents, including:
Section 8 and Housing Assistance in Colorado
Coloradans who need affordable housing should look into Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and other subsidized housing.
Local housing authorities run these programs, and rules and wait lists vary between them.
Helping Hands can provide information and resources to help you understand:
Colorado Eviction Assistance
Holding an eviction notice or a late rent notice? Get help now. Eviction timelines leave little room.
Our Colorado list covers rental assistance, eviction prevention, emergency housing, legal aid and community resources from Grand Junction to Greeley.
Depending on your situation, help may come from a nonprofit, a legal aid office, a county agency or a housing program.
Foreclosure Prevention Assistance in Colorado
Falling behind on a mortgage feels overwhelming, but you have more options in the first months than later on.
Colorado homeowners can use our guide to find foreclosure prevention and housing counseling.
If you fear losing your home, contact your mortgage servicer and a housing counselor soon.
Colorado Assistance for Seniors
Older Coloradans may qualify for help with health care, food, housing, rides and household bills.
For Medicare questions, call the Colorado State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) at 1-888-696-7213.
Helping Hands provides information about resources that may be available to older adults, including:
Health First Colorado and Medicare Resources in Colorado
Health costs land hardest on seniors, people with disabilities and families living on low incomes.
Helping Hands helps you find information about Medicare, Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) and other health-care assistance.
Medicare and Health First Colorado use different rules, so check the current requirements for the program you need.
Disability Assistance in Colorado
Coloradans with disabilities may qualify for specialized programs, home care services and community support.
Every program sets its own standards, so go through them one at a time.
Helping Hands can help Colorado residents locate information about resources involving:
Legal Assistance for Colorado Residents
You may need a lawyer when a benefit gets denied, a landlord won't make repairs or a debt ends up in court.
Coloradans who qualify may get legal aid and free legal resources, and we'll tell you where to apply.
Each legal aid group decides who it can represent for free or at low cost.
Legal assistance may be particularly relevant for issues involving:
Education, Employment and Training Assistance
One payment covers one bill. Training can raise every paycheck after it.
Helping Hands also shares education, job training and workforce resources that help Coloradans build skills and earn steadier income.
Resources may include:
Colorado Food Banks and Emergency Food Resources
Need food today? Colorado food banks and pantries serve the Front Range cities, the plains and the mountain valleys.
Helping Hands helps you find food resources close by, including options for families, seniors, people with disabilities and anyone in a short-term crisis.
No food in the house, a shutoff notice or no place to stay? Dial 2-1-1 in Colorado. 2-1-1 Colorado connects you with local services around the clock.
Assistance Available Throughout All 64 Colorado Counties
We cover all 64 counties in Colorado, from the plains of Baca County to the peaks of San Juan County.
Our Colorado resources cover cities, suburbs and mountain towns, including:
- Denver
- Colorado Springs
- Aurora
- Fort Collins
- Lakewood
- Thornton
- Arvada
- Westminster
- Pueblo
- Greeley
- Centennial
- Boulder
- Longmont
- Loveland
- Grand Junction
- El Paso County
- Denver County
- Arapahoe County
- Jefferson County
- Adams County
- And communities throughout Colorado
From a condo in Aurora to a ranch on the eastern plains, the help you can get depends on your household and the programs in your county.
How Helping Hands Can Help
Between state programs, 64 county offices, forms and wait lists, you can lose weeks looking for the right door.
Helping Hands acts as your guide to the options open to Coloradans.
Our goal is to help you:
- Identify programs that may match your situation.
- Understand basic eligibility requirements.
- Find the appropriate agency or organization.
- Learn where and how to apply.
- Locate additional resources if one program does not meet your needs.
Our help and resource information costs Coloradans nothing.
Need Help in Colorado? Start Here.
Short on money for food, rent, heat or medical care? Hand us the search.
We'll sort your options and name the Colorado agencies and groups worth calling.
Common Colorado Assistance Programs
Food & Nutrition
- SNAP / Food Stamps
- EBT information
- Food banks
- Food pantries
- Emergency food assistance
Housing
- Rental assistance
- Section 8
- Low-income housing
- Eviction assistance
- Foreclosure prevention
- Emergency housing
Utilities
- LIHEAP (LEAP)
- Electric assistance
- Gas assistance
- Utility bill assistance
Financial Assistance
- Emergency financial assistance
- Cash assistance
- Family assistance
- Single-parent resources
- Community grants and assistance
Health & Senior Services
- Medicare
- Health First Colorado (Medicaid)
- Senior assistance
- Disability resources
- Health-care assistance
Other Resources
- Legal assistance
- Education
- Job training
- Workforce resources
- Community services
Immediate Colorado Assistance
Need help right now? Dial 2-1-1 to reach 2-1-1 Colorado and find local help with food, shelter, heating bills and other emergencies.
For SNAP and Colorado Works, contact your county human services office or the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS).
For Medicare questions, call the Colorado State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) at 1-888-696-7213.
Keep this page open while you make calls, since it holds Colorado's main contacts.
Find the Colorado programs that match your household today.
Helping Hands is a resource and information service. Program eligibility, availability, funding, and application requirements are determined by the applicable government agency, nonprofit organization, housing authority, or other program administrator. Providing information about a program does not guarantee eligibility or approval.
