New York Assistance Programs and Benefits
Free help finding assistance programs, from the five boroughs to the shores of Lake Erie
New York City rents and upstate heating bills can squeeze any household, and one lost shift makes it worse. We match you with New York assistance programs, from SNAP to HEAP, and tell you which office handles each.
Rent, heat, groceries, a doctor's bill: name the one pressing on you. We point you to the programs, the eligibility basics and the local offices that serve New Yorkers.
We cover all 62 counties in New York, the five boroughs included. You could live in Brooklyn or the Bronx, in Suffolk County on Long Island, or in a lake town near Buffalo or Syracuse. Our guidance stays free for you.
Help in New York comes from OTDA, local departments of social services, NY State of Health, food banks and community action agencies. We help you connect your situation to the right agency, upstate or downstate.
Check Your Eligibility for Free
Each program has its own rules. Your income, household size, age, disability status, rent or mortgage and work history can each change the result.
Helping Hands helps you see which programs may fit and where you should start.
New York Financial Assistance Programs
A layoff, a hospital stay or a cut in hours can drain savings in a city where everything costs more. New York households can look into several kinds of financial help.
If covering the basics has slipped 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:
New York Food Assistance and SNAP Benefits
Grocery bills in New York take a big bite out of a small paycheck.
We break down New York food assistance programs, beginning with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). New York puts SNAP benefits on an EBT card you use at approved stores and many farmers markets.
If the fridge keeps running low, check your SNAP eligibility before anything else.
The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) oversees SNAP and cash assistance. You can apply online at myBenefits or at your local department of social services, and apply for Medicaid through NY State of Health.
We can also help New York residents locate:
New York Utility Bill Assistance
Lake-effect snow and long upstate winters push heating bills up, and city summers bring heavy air conditioning costs. Falling behind on gas or electric bills can lead to a shutoff.
We cover HEAP and the other utility programs qualifying New Yorkers can apply for.
Resources may include information about:
New York HEAP: The State's LIHEAP Program
New York runs the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), managed by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
HEAP offers a regular benefit each season and emergency help if you're about to run out of fuel or lose service. You apply through myBenefits or your local department of social services, and dates change year to year.
We help you find your local office and start the application.
New York Rental Assistance and Housing Assistance
Rent in New York City and its suburbs can take most of what you earn.
If you owe rent, got an eviction notice, need an affordable apartment or fear losing your home, we help you find the programs and groups that may help.
Helping Hands provides information about housing resources that may be available to qualifying New York residents, including:
Section 8 and Housing Assistance in New York
Need rent you can manage? Learn how Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and other subsidized housing work in New York.
Local housing authorities and state agencies run these programs, and wait lists differ by city and county.
Helping Hands can provide information and resources to help you understand:
New York Eviction Assistance
An eviction notice or a rent demand needs a fast response.
Helping Hands points you to rental assistance, eviction prevention, emergency shelter, legal aid and local resources across New York.
Help may come from a nonprofit, a legal services group, your local department of social services or a housing program.
Foreclosure Prevention Assistance in New York
Homeowners who fall behind have the most room to fix things early.
Ask us about foreclosure prevention and housing counseling in New York, and we'll send you to groups that do this work.
Talk with a housing counselor and your mortgage servicer as soon as a payment slips.
New York Assistance for Seniors
Older New Yorkers may qualify for help with health care, food, housing, transportation and household bills.
For free Medicare counseling, call HIICAP, the Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program, at 1-800-701-0501.
Helping Hands provides information about resources that may be available to older adults, including:
New York Medicaid and Medicare Resources
Health costs land hardest on seniors, New Yorkers with disabilities and families with low incomes.
Helping Hands helps you find information on Medicare, Medicaid, NY State of Health coverage and other medical resources.
Medicare and Medicaid have different rules, so check the current requirements for the program you want.
Disability Assistance in New York
New Yorkers with a disability may qualify for specialized programs, home care and community support.
Each program sets its own qualifications, so go through them one at a time.
Helping Hands can help New York residents locate information about resources involving:
Legal Assistance for New York Residents
Benefit denials, housing court and debt problems can call for a lawyer.
New Yorkers who qualify can use our referrals to legal aid and free legal resources in their county.
Every legal aid office in New York sets its own limits on whom it can take for free.
Legal assistance may be particularly relevant for issues involving:
Education, Employment and Training Assistance
Steady work with better pay lasts longer than a one-time grant.
Helping Hands also shares education, job training and workforce resources that help New Yorkers build skills and move up.
Resources may include:
New York Food Banks and Emergency Food Resources
Need food today? Food banks, pantries and soup kitchens serve New York City neighborhoods and upstate towns alike.
Helping Hands helps you find food close to home, with options for families, seniors, people with disabilities and anyone in a short-term crisis.
Out of food or facing a shutoff today? Dial 2-1-1 in New York, and 211 New York will connect you with local services.
Assistance Available Throughout All 62 New York Counties
From Montauk to Niagara Falls, you can use our guidance in all 62 counties in New York.
Our New York resources cover the city, the suburbs and upstate, including:
- New York City
- Buffalo
- Rochester
- Yonkers
- Syracuse
- Albany
- New Rochelle
- Mount Vernon
- Schenectady
- Utica
- White Plains
- Binghamton
- Troy
- Niagara Falls
- Ithaca
- Kings County (Brooklyn)
- Queens County
- New York County (Manhattan)
- Suffolk County
- Bronx County
- And communities throughout New York
A tenant in Queens and a dairy farmer in the North Country face different choices, because help depends on your household and the programs in your county.
How Helping Hands Can Help
State agencies, city offices, county DSS, forms and wait lists: it adds up to a lot of phone calls.
Helping Hands acts as your guide to the options open to New Yorkers.
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.
From the Bronx to Buffalo, New Yorkers get our help and resource information free.
Need Help in New York? Start Here.
Behind on food, rent, utilities or medical bills? You don't have to chase down each program alone.
Helping Hands helps you weigh your options and points you to the agencies and organizations that may help.
Common New York 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
- Medicaid
- Senior assistance
- Disability resources
- Health-care assistance
Other Resources
- Legal assistance
- Education
- Job training
- Workforce resources
- Community services
Immediate New York Assistance
Need help right now? Dial 2-1-1 from anywhere in the state, and 211 New York can refer you to local food, shelter and utility help.
For SNAP, HEAP and cash assistance, contact your local department of social services or the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).
For Medicare questions, call HIICAP at 1-800-701-0501.
Helping Hands turns a scattered New York system into a list you can follow.
Start exploring New York assistance programs today, from SNAP to HEAP.
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.
