Many individuals work hard to provide for their households.  But sometimes, their earnings are not enough to make ends meet.  Or, a medical emergency, unemployment, or divorce disrupts their ability to provide for their families.  Public benefits play an important role in supporting households until they can get on their feet again.  While some people may feel embarrassed to reach out and ask for help, you are not alone.  Public benefits are funded through the taxes you and others pay, and are designed to lessen the impact of financial stressors that many families face.

Public benefits come from federal and state government, as well as from counties, cities, or towns.  They are typically available in a variety of categories – food, housing, energy assistance, education, child care, job and career, and medical.  Most benefit providers will ask you questions about your household to make sure that you qualify for the benefits.  They often ask for information about:

• Household size—the number of people living in your home
• Ages—the ages of the people living in your home (to determine dependency status)
• Family members with disabilities
• Annual income—the amount of money the household earns
• Assets the household owns—while not all benefits consider the value of some assets, certain public benefits do count them in determining eligibility.

Some public benefits are designed to fill in the gaps for short-term emergencies while others are able to be accessed long-term.