Pennsylvania Assistance Programs and Benefits
Free help finding assistance programs, from Philadelphia rowhouses to the Allegheny hills
One cold snap can double a heating bill. Add a missed shift or a medical bill, and a Pennsylvania household can fall behind by February. Helping Hands matches your needs to Pennsylvania assistance programs and tells you how to reach them.
Tell us where you're struggling. We walk you through the programs, the basic eligibility rules and the Pennsylvania offices that handle them.
Helping Hands serves all 67 counties in Pennsylvania. You might live in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, in Allentown or Erie, or in a borough in the Northern Tier with one traffic light. The information is free to you.
Pennsylvanians find help through the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Department of Aging, federal programs, county assistance offices, food banks and community action agencies. We help you see how they fit together.
Check Your Eligibility for Free
Rules vary by program. Your income, household size, age, any disability, housing situation and job history can all change what you qualify for.
Helping Hands helps you figure out which programs may fit you and where to start.
Pennsylvania Financial Assistance Programs
A plant closing, a hospital stay or a burst pipe in January can empty a savings account. Pennsylvania offers several kinds of financial help, and the right fit depends on your situation.
If paying for the basics has gotten 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:
Pennsylvania Food Assistance and SNAP Benefits
Food costs keep going up, and groceries claim more of a tight budget every year.
The best known of the Pennsylvania food assistance programs is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and we explain how it works. Pennsylvania puts SNAP benefits on an EBT ACCESS card that you use like a debit card at approved stores.
Can't keep enough food in the house? A SNAP eligibility check with DHS is the place to begin.
You apply for SNAP, cash assistance and Medical Assistance through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), online at COMPASS or at your county assistance office.
We can also help Pennsylvania residents locate:
Pennsylvania Utility Bill Assistance
Pennsylvania winters are long, and heating oil, propane and natural gas bills climb fast when the temperature drops. Falling behind on utilities puts your household at risk of a shutoff.
If you qualify, Pennsylvania programs can help with gas, electric and oil bills. We walk you through which ones to try.
Resources may include information about:
LIHEAP Help in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) runs the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which offers cash grants toward heating bills and crisis grants for heating emergencies.
You can apply online through COMPASS or through your county assistance office. The season, funding and rules change each year, so check the current details before you apply.
We help you find the right office and get your application started.
Pennsylvania Rental Assistance and Housing Assistance
When your income drops or an emergency hits, rent can take most of what you earn.
Behind on rent, facing eviction, looking for an affordable apartment or afraid of losing your home? From Erie to Chester, local programs and groups may help, and we'll show you how to reach them.
Helping Hands provides information about housing resources that may be available to qualifying Pennsylvania residents, including:
Section 8 and Housing Assistance in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians looking for affordable housing should learn about Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and other subsidized housing.
County and city housing authorities run these programs. Wait lists and rules in Philadelphia look different from those in Lancaster or Scranton.
Helping Hands can provide information and resources to help you understand:
Pennsylvania Eviction Assistance
If you got an eviction notice or fell behind on rent, act right away. Eviction cases move on tight deadlines.
Start with rental assistance, eviction prevention, emergency housing, legal aid and local community resources in your Pennsylvania county. We tell you which offices handle each.
Depending on your situation, help may come from nonprofits, legal aid groups, county agencies or housing programs.
Foreclosure Prevention Assistance in Pennsylvania
Homeowners facing a hard stretch should review their options before the missed payments pile up.
Pennsylvania homeowners can turn to foreclosure prevention and housing counseling, and our pages send you to both.
If you're afraid of losing your home, call your mortgage servicer early and meet with a housing counselor.
Pennsylvania Assistance for Seniors
Older Pennsylvanians may qualify for help with prescriptions, health care, meals, housing, transportation and household bills.
For free, unbiased Medicare counseling, call the PA MEDI Helpline at 1-800-783-7067, run by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.
Helping Hands provides information about resources that may be available to older adults, including:
Pennsylvania Medical Assistance, Medicaid and Medicare Resources
A hospital stay in Pittsburgh or a pharmacy bill in Scranton can strain seniors, people with disabilities and low-income families.
Helping Hands helps you find information about Medicare, Medical Assistance (Pennsylvania's Medicaid program), health-care assistance and other medical resources that fit your situation.
Medicare and Medical Assistance follow different rules, so review the current requirements for the program you need.
Disability Assistance in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians with a disability may qualify for specialized programs, home and community services and other support.
Each program has its own qualifications. Check them one program at a time.
Helping Hands can help Pennsylvania residents locate information about resources involving:
Legal Assistance for Pennsylvania Residents
Benefit denials, landlord disputes and debt problems sometimes need a lawyer.
Pennsylvanians who meet income limits can turn to legal aid and free legal resources. We list where to call.
Pennsylvania legal aid offices choose their own cases, so ask what they cover when you call.
Legal assistance may be particularly relevant for issues involving:
Education, Employment and Training Assistance
Real stability takes more than one payment.
Helping Hands also shares education, job training and workforce resources, including PA CareerLink, that can help Pennsylvanians find better work and steadier pay.
Resources may include:
Pennsylvania Food Banks and Emergency Food Resources
Need food today? Pennsylvania food banks and pantries supply groceries and meals in cities, suburbs and farm country.
We list pantries and meal sites for Pennsylvania families, seniors, people with disabilities and anyone who hit a rough patch this month.
No food in the house, no heat or no place to stay tonight? Dial 2-1-1 in Pennsylvania and PA 211 will connect you with services in your county.
Assistance Available Throughout All 67 Pennsylvania Counties
You'll find program information and guidance for all 67 counties in Pennsylvania here, Philadelphia to Erie.
Pennsylvania cities, boroughs and counties we cover include:
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Allentown
- Reading
- Erie
- Scranton
- Bethlehem
- Lancaster
- Harrisburg
- Altoona
- York
- Wilkes-Barre
- State College
- Chester
- Williamsport
- Philadelphia County
- Allegheny County
- Montgomery County
- Bucks County
- Delaware County
- And communities throughout Pennsylvania
From a South Philly rowhouse to a dairy farm in Bradford County, 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 juggling agencies, forms, phone calls and wait lists.
Helping Hands serves as your guide to the options open to Pennsylvanians.
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.
Pennsylvania residents get our help and resource information at no cost.
Need Help in Pennsylvania? Start Here.
Having trouble with food, rent, heat, medical bills or another crisis? You don't have to hunt down each program by yourself.
Describe your situation and we'll list the Pennsylvania offices and groups that may help.
Common Pennsylvania 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
- 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
- Medical Assistance (Medicaid)
- Senior assistance
- Disability resources
- Health-care assistance
Other Resources
- Legal assistance
- Education
- Job training
- Workforce resources
- Community services
Immediate Pennsylvania Assistance
Need help right now? Dial 2-1-1 to reach PA 211 for local help with food, shelter, utility bills and other emergencies.
For SNAP, cash assistance, LIHEAP and Medical Assistance, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) or apply on COMPASS.
For Medicare questions, call the PA MEDI Helpline at 1-800-783-7067.
Keep this page open while you call DHS or your county assistance office.
Explore Pennsylvania assistance programs now and check what you may qualify for.
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.
