Massachusetts Assistance Programs and Benefits
Free help finding assistance programs, from the Berkshires to Cape Cod
Massachusetts rents rank among the highest in the country, and a New England winter can double what you pay for heat. One lost job or one hospital bill can tip the balance. We sort through Massachusetts assistance programs and tell you how to reach the ones that could fit.
Tell us which bill is keeping you up. You'll get the Massachusetts programs, their basic rules and the DTA, MassHealth or local office behind each one.
Pittsfield to Provincetown, we reach all 14 counties in Massachusetts. You might live in Boston, Worcester or Springfield, in Middlesex or Essex County, or in a hill town off the Mohawk Trail. You pay nothing for it.
Massachusetts help comes from DTA, MassHealth, federal programs, community action agencies, food banks and local nonprofits. We help you figure out which one handles your problem.
Check Your Eligibility for Free
Every program uses its own rules. Income, household size, age, disability, housing costs and work history can each change what you qualify for.
Share a few details and we'll name the Massachusetts programs to try first.
Massachusetts Financial Assistance Programs
A layoff, a medical leave or a surprise repair can empty savings fast in a state this expensive. Massachusetts residents can look at several kinds of financial help, depending on what happened.
If the basics feel out of reach, 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:
Massachusetts Food Assistance and SNAP Benefits
Grocery bills keep rising, and they compete with some of the highest housing costs in the nation.
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, tops our list of Massachusetts food assistance programs, alongside WIC and school meals. You spend SNAP with a Massachusetts EBT card at approved stores the way you'd use a debit card.
If your fridge runs empty before the month does, look into SNAP first.
You can apply for SNAP and cash assistance through the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) on DTA Connect. MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program, takes its own application.
We can also help Massachusetts residents locate:
Massachusetts Utility Bill Assistance
Massachusetts winters bring nor'easters and long heating seasons, and many older homes burn oil or gas. Falling behind on heat or electric bills can put your household at risk.
Helping Hands shows you the heating and utility assistance programs open to qualifying Massachusetts households.
Resources may include information about:
Massachusetts HEAP: LIHEAP Heating Help
Massachusetts runs the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), overseen by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Local agencies take HEAP applications for each part of the state, and renters with heat included in rent can apply too. Funding and rules change each season, so check current details with the agency that serves your town.
Our guide names the HEAP agency for your town so you can call before the cold sets in.
Massachusetts Rental Assistance and Housing Assistance
Rent in Greater Boston can swallow most of a paycheck, and the rest of the state keeps climbing too.
Behind on rent, facing eviction, looking for affordable housing or scared of losing your home? We help you find the Massachusetts programs and groups that may step in.
Helping Hands provides information about housing resources that may be available to qualifying Massachusetts residents, including:
Section 8 and Housing Assistance in Massachusetts
Massachusetts residents searching for affordable housing should learn about Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and other subsidized housing.
Local housing authorities and regional agencies run these programs, and wait lists in Boston differ from those in Pittsfield or New Bedford.
Helping Hands can provide information and resources to help you understand:
Massachusetts Eviction Assistance
If you got a notice to quit or fell behind on rent, don't wait. Eviction deadlines move quickly.
Massachusetts renters can look at rental assistance, eviction prevention, emergency shelter, legal aid and local resources, and we sort out which ones apply.
In Massachusetts, that help might come from a legal services office in Boston, a housing agency in Worcester or a nonprofit in Fall River.
Foreclosure Prevention Assistance in Massachusetts
Homeowners who hit a rough patch should review their options before missed payments start piling up.
Our Massachusetts section lists foreclosure prevention and housing counseling contacts from Berkshire County to the Cape.
Worried about a Massachusetts mortgage? Call your servicer this week and meet a HUD-approved counselor before the next notice arrives.
Massachusetts Assistance for Seniors
Older residents of Massachusetts may qualify for help with health care, meals, housing, rides and everyday bills.
For aging, disability and Medicare questions, call MassOptions at 800-243-4636. The same line connects you to SHINE, the state's free Medicare counseling program.
Helping Hands provides information about resources that may be available to older adults, including:
Massachusetts MassHealth, Medicaid and Medicare Resources
Medical costs weigh heaviest on seniors, people with disabilities and families with low incomes.
Helping Hands helps you find information about Medicare, MassHealth, health care assistance and other medical resources that fit your situation.
Medicare and MassHealth follow different rules, so review the current requirements for the program you want.
Disability Assistance in Massachusetts
Massachusetts residents living with a disability may qualify for specialized programs and community support.
A MassHealth program and a local disability service can ask for different paperwork, so compare them side by side.
Helping Hands can help Massachusetts residents locate information about resources involving:
Legal Assistance for Massachusetts Residents
A benefits denial, a housing dispute or debt problems can leave you needing a lawyer.
Massachusetts residents with low incomes can turn to legal aid and free legal resources in Massachusetts, and our guide shows where to begin.
Massachusetts legal aid programs cover different regions and case types, and each sets its own income limits.
Legal assistance may be particularly relevant for issues involving:
Education, Employment and Training Assistance
Emergency help steadies things for a month. New skills can steady them for years.
Helping Hands also shares education, job training and workforce resources that can help Massachusetts residents move into better-paying work in health care, tech, the trades and more.
Resources may include:
Massachusetts Food Banks and Emergency Food Resources
Need food today? Massachusetts food banks and pantries serve every region, from the Merrimack Valley to the South Coast.
Our guide helps you find a Massachusetts pantry, meal site or mobile market near you, with options for kids, seniors, people with disabilities and families between paychecks.
Out of groceries tonight? Dial 2-1-1 in Massachusetts. Mass 211 connects you with local services around the clock.
Assistance Available Throughout All 14 Massachusetts Counties
From Berkshire County to Barnstable, our program guidance covers all 14 counties in Massachusetts.
Our Massachusetts resources cover cities, mill towns and rural communities, including:
- Boston
- Worcester
- Springfield
- Cambridge
- Lowell
- Brockton
- Quincy
- Lynn
- New Bedford
- Fall River
- Lawrence
- Newton
- Somerville
- Framingham
- Pittsfield
- Middlesex County
- Worcester County
- Suffolk County
- Essex County
- Norfolk County
- And communities throughout Massachusetts
From a triple-decker in Worcester to a farmhouse in the Pioneer Valley, the help you can get depends on your household and the programs in your area.
How Helping Hands Can Help
Finding the right program can mean sorting through agencies, forms, rules and wait lists.
Helping Hands works as your guide to the options open to Massachusetts residents.
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.
Massachusetts residents pay nothing for our guidance, in Boston or the smallest hill town.
Need Help in Massachusetts? Start Here.
Behind on rent, the heating oil or the grocery bill? Skip calling a dozen offices on your own.
Pick the most pressing bill and our Massachusetts guide leads you to the state agency, town office or nonprofit that handles it.
Common Massachusetts 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
- MassHealth (Medicaid)
- Senior assistance
- Disability resources
- Health-care assistance
Other Resources
- Legal assistance
- Education
- Job training
- Workforce resources
- Community services
Immediate Massachusetts Assistance
Need help right now? Dial 2-1-1 to reach Mass 211 and find local help with food, shelter, utility bills and other emergencies.
For SNAP and cash assistance, contact the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) or apply on DTA Connect.
For aging, disability and Medicare questions, call MassOptions at 800-243-4636.
Massachusetts spreads its safety net across state agencies, towns and nonprofits, and our free guide lays it out in plain words.
See which Massachusetts programs could help your household before winter.
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.
