Maine Assistance Programs and Benefits
Free help finding assistance programs, from Kittery to Aroostook County
In Maine, a cold snap can empty the oil tank before payday, and a slow tourist season can shrink a paycheck. We line up the Maine assistance programs that could fit and tell you how to contact each one.
Start with the bill or the empty tank that worries you. You'll get the Maine programs, the eligibility basics and the office that handles each one.
Kittery to Fort Kent, we reach all 16 counties in Maine. You might live in Portland, Lewiston or Bangor, in Cumberland or Penobscot County, or on an island or a back road in the North Woods. We charge you nothing for it.
Maine help comes from DHHS, MaineHousing, federal programs, community action agencies, food pantries and town general assistance offices. We help you figure out where to start.
Check Your Eligibility for Free
Each program keeps its own rules. Income, household size, age, disability, housing and heating costs, and work history can all shift what you qualify for.
Tell us a little about your household and we'll name the Maine programs to try first.
Maine Financial Assistance Programs
Seasonal work, a medical emergency or a busted furnace can drain savings fast in Maine. You have several kinds of financial help to look at, depending on your situation.
If covering the basics has gotten hard, we help you find the resources that fit and show you where to apply.
Helping Hands can help you locate information about programs and resources involving:
Maine Food Assistance and SNAP Benefits
Groceries cost more every year, and in rural Maine the nearest full store can sit a long drive away.
Our Maine food section starts with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and covers other Maine food assistance programs as well. You swipe your Maine EBT card at approved stores the way you'd use a debit card.
Stretching the last of the groceries until the next benefit day? Checking your SNAP eligibility makes a good first step.
You can apply for SNAP, TANF and MaineCare through the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office for Family Independence, online at My Maine Connection or at a regional DHHS office.
We can also help Maine residents locate:
Maine Utility Bill Assistance
Maine winters run long, and many homes still burn heating oil, kerosene or propane. When a delivery costs more than you have, or an electric bill goes past due, your household can end up cold or facing a shutoff.
Helping Hands shows you the heating and utility assistance programs open to qualifying Maine households.
Resources may include information about:
Maine HEAP: LIHEAP Heating Help Through MaineHousing
Maine runs the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), managed by MaineHousing.
Community action agencies across Maine take HEAP applications, and MaineHousing also runs an emergency fuel program for households out of heat. Funding, rules and deadlines change each season, so check current details with your local agency.
We help you find that agency and get your application going.
Maine Rental Assistance and Housing Assistance
Rent in southern Maine has climbed, and a drop in income can make it impossible to keep up.
Behind on rent in Portland, facing eviction in Biddeford or worried about a mortgage in Aroostook County? Maine has programs and local groups that may step in, and our guide names them.
Helping Hands provides information about housing resources that may be available to qualifying Maine residents, including:
Section 8 and Housing Assistance in Maine
Mainers looking for affordable housing should learn about Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and other subsidized housing.
Local housing authorities and MaineHousing run these programs, and rules and wait lists differ from Portland to Presque Isle.
Helping Hands can provide information and resources to help you understand:
Maine Eviction Assistance
If you received an eviction notice or fell behind on rent, move quickly. Eviction deadlines leave little room to wait.
Maine renters can look at rental assistance, eviction prevention, emergency shelter, legal aid and town resources, and we sort out which ones apply.
Help may come from nonprofits, legal aid groups, your town's general assistance office or housing programs.
Foreclosure Prevention Assistance in Maine
Homeowners going through a rough stretch should look at their options before missed payments add up.
Our Maine section lists foreclosure prevention and housing counseling contacts from York County to Washington County.
Falling behind on a Maine mortgage? Call your servicer this week, and ask MaineHousing about a HUD-approved counselor near you.
Maine Assistance for Seniors
Older Mainers may qualify for help with health care, meals, heating, housing, rides and household bills.
For aging, disability and Medicare questions, call Maine's Aging and Disability Resource Centers at 877-353-3771 to reach the agency that serves your county.
Helping Hands provides information about resources that may be available to older adults, including:
Maine MaineCare, Medicaid and Medicare Resources
Medical costs press hardest on seniors, people with disabilities and families with low incomes.
Helping Hands helps you find information about Medicare, MaineCare (Maine's Medicaid program), health care assistance and other medical resources that fit your situation.
Medicare and MaineCare follow different rules, so review the current requirements for the program you want.
Disability Assistance in Maine
Mainers living with a disability may qualify for specialized programs, home supports and community services.
A MaineCare waiver and a local disability service can ask for different paperwork, so compare them side by side.
Helping Hands can help Maine residents locate information about resources involving:
Legal Assistance for Maine Residents
A benefit denial, a housing dispute or debt trouble can leave you needing a lawyer.
Mainers with low incomes can turn to legal aid and free legal resources in Maine, and our guide shows where to begin.
Maine legal aid groups focus on different cases, from housing to elder law, and each sets its own income limits.
Legal assistance may be particularly relevant for issues involving:
Education, Employment and Training Assistance
A single fuel delivery gets you through a week. A better job gets you through the winter.
Helping Hands also shares education, job training and workforce resources that can help Mainers build year-round work and steadier income.
Resources may include:
Maine Food Banks and Emergency Food Resources
Need food today? Maine food pantries, meal sites and mobile food programs reach towns from York County to the St. John Valley.
Our guide helps you find a Maine pantry, meal site or mobile food stop near you, with options for kids, seniors, people with disabilities and families between paychecks.
For immediate help with food, shelter, heat or bills, dial 2-1-1 in Maine. 211 Maine connects you with local services at any hour.
Assistance Available Throughout All 16 Maine Counties
From York County to Aroostook, our program guidance covers all 16 counties in Maine.
Our Maine resources cover cities, coastal towns and rural communities, including:
- Portland
- Lewiston
- Bangor
- South Portland
- Auburn
- Biddeford
- Sanford
- Saco
- Westbrook
- Augusta
- Waterville
- Brunswick
- Scarborough
- Presque Isle
- Caribou
- Cumberland County
- York County
- Penobscot County
- Kennebec County
- Androscoggin County
- And communities throughout Maine
From an apartment in Lewiston to a farmhouse outside Caribou, the help you can get depends on your household and the programs serving your area.
How Helping Hands Can Help
Finding the right program can mean juggling several agencies, rules, forms and wait lists.
Helping Hands works as your guide to the options open to Mainers.
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.
Mainers pay nothing for our guidance, on the coast or up in the County.
Need Help in Maine? Start Here.
Struggling with heat, food, rent, medical bills or another crisis? One page can save you a morning of phone calls.
Name the need that scares you most this winter and we'll show you the Maine agencies and groups that handle it.
Common Maine 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 (HEAP)
- 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
- MaineCare (Medicaid)
- Senior assistance
- Disability resources
- Health-care assistance
Other Resources
- Legal assistance
- Education
- Job training
- Workforce resources
- Community services
Immediate Maine Assistance
Need help right now? Dial 2-1-1 to reach 211 Maine and find local help with food, shelter, heating, utility bills and other emergencies.
For SNAP, TANF and MaineCare, contact the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) or apply on My Maine Connection.
For aging, disability and Medicare questions, call the Aging and Disability Resource Centers at 877-353-3771.
Maine's safety net runs through state offices, towns and community action agencies, and our free guide lays it out in plain words.
See which Maine programs could help your household before the next oil delivery.
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.
