Banner: Get food, money and other support

Get food, money and other support

Get food, money and other support

Need help paying for food, housing, or other needs?

There are many national, state, and local programs that offer assistance. Use the State Resource Finder and select your state to find contact information for social services and free legal help in your state. Try these steps to get started:

Call 2-1-1 or visit 211.org to find local help. You’ll find information on food, housing, employment, health care, and other kinds of assistance. 211 is a free and confidential service for anyone in the United States.

You can also take a short quiz at Benefits.gov that will help you learn which government benefits you may be eligible for.

Help paying for food

  • See if you qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, sometimes called food stamps). If you do, you’ll also find the phone number to apply for SNAP in your state.
  • Visit Benefits.gov to find Food / Nutrition resources in your state.

Help paying for housing

You might qualify for low-rent public housing. Enter your address on the public housing map to locate contact information for services near you. From that website, you can look for:

  • Your local Public Housing Authority / Agency (PHA) - look on the map for PHA offices to contact and find out if you qualify for public housing.
  • Affordable housing opportunities near you—if you do qualify for public housing, look on the map for affordable housing and contact these properties to ask about available apartments.
  • Homeless resources near you—if you need immediate help, look on the map for homeless resources that you can contact to ask about homeless services in your area.

View Transcript

It was me and my son living with my mom and we occupied two rooms at her house. I was no longer able to pay her the full amount of rent. I had to let my job go because I was a high-risk pregnancy. I took it upon myself to go ahead and leave her home because I didn't want to put her at a disadvantage.

I went ahead and I applied into the shelter. And it was scary to me because I didn't know what the next step would be. If I would get an apartment. If I would be there forever!

I think my lowest moment was the first day I got there and I actually had seen the living conditions that I would be subjected to: One room, two beds, a refrigerator, a microwave. So it was a total 360 from what I was used to.

I heard about the program through my worker at the homeless shelter and I literally like jumped at the opportunity. A pharmacy technician is usually...I think it's a year you take the course in if it was at a regular school. So a twelve-week accelerated program is very, very intense.

CVS has given me a lot of skills. I love that I have a license I can take wherever with me and know that it's mine. I worked for it. I really worked hard for it and it definitely, definitely gave me a road map to a better living.

I can't ask for anything more. I have a job. I have my own apartment. I have two healthy kids. I'm healthy. I'm not stressed about anything. I'm here. I'm awesome.