Connecticut

If you're homeless or about to lose your housing, call 2-1-1 and press 3. This is the official entry point for every shelter and homeless program in Connecticut.

State fund (run through the UniteCT office) that can pay back rent for tenants facing eviction. Call 1-844-864-8328 to ask about eviction help.

Connecticut's state-funded rental voucher program that caps your rent at a share of your income when the waitlist is open.

Free help for renters facing eviction and homeowners facing foreclosure, including advice on your rights. Call 860-247-4400.

Connecticut's monthly cash assistance for families with children (this is the state's TANF program). Apply online at connect.ct.gov or call DSS at 1-855-626-6632.

• connect.ct.gov

Small monthly cash payments for very-low-income adults who don't qualify for other programs. Apply through DSS at 1-855-626-6632.

Find your local Community Action Agency, which handles emergency help with rent, heat, food, and bills in every part of the state.

Local corps offices across Connecticut offer emergency financial help, food, and seasonal assistance.

Free state office that fights insurance denials and helps you deal with medical bills you can't pay. Call 1-866-466-4446.

Connecticut hospitals must screen uninsured patients for free or discounted care and many have charity funds; ask the hospital's billing office for a financial assistance application, or call 2-1-1 for help finding hospital free-care programs.

If you qualify for HUSKY (Medicaid), it can sometimes cover medical bills from up to three months before you applied — worth applying even after the bill arrives.

The state's LIHEAP program; pays part of your winter heating bill (any heat source) and can help in a shut-off emergency. Apply through your local Community Action Agency or call 2-1-1.

Statewide nonprofit emergency energy assistance for households that don't qualify for CEAP or have run out of benefits — helps with electric, gas, oil, and even water bills. Call 860-243-2345.

Free home weatherization and energy upgrades through the utilities to lower your bills for good.

Monthly money for groceries on an EBT card. Apply online at connect.ct.gov or call 1-855-626-6632.

• connect.ct.gov

The statewide food bank; use its site to find free food pantries and mobile food distributions near you.

Free healthy food, formula, and nutrition support for pregnant people and kids under 5. Call 2-1-1 to find your local WIC office.

Connecticut's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (HUSKY A, B, C, and D) — free or very low-cost coverage for kids, parents, pregnant people, and adults. Apply at Access Health CT or call 1-877-284-8759.

The state's official insurance marketplace; also runs the Covered Connecticut Program, which gives some working adults fully free coverage. Call 1-855-805-4325.

Find a community health center that treats you regardless of insurance and charges on a sliding scale.

Call 2-1-1 and press 1 to reach Connecticut's mobile crisis teams for adults or kids — they can come to you anywhere in the state.

1-800-HOPE-135 (1-800-467-3135), 24/7 state line that connects adults to mental health and addiction crisis help and treatment openings.

Statewide information line for addiction and mental health treatment resources; helps you find detox, treatment, and recovery supports.

Connecticut's child care subsidy; pays a big share of your child care costs while you work or study. Call 1-888-214-5437.

Free diapers and period supplies distributed through partner agencies statewide.

1-800-505-7000; free help for families worried about a young child's development, and a door into Birth to Three and family support programs.

Free job search help, training programs, and career counseling at centers around the state.

File for weekly unemployment payments online if you've lost your job or had hours cut.

Call 2-1-1 to find local rides to medical appointments, reduced bus fares, and town-run transportation programs.

Free legal help by phone for low-income people on evictions, benefits, debt, and family issues. Call 1-800-453-3320.

Plain-language legal information for Connecticut and the entry point to apply for free legal aid online.

The state's largest legal aid law firm; represents low-income people in housing, benefits, and family cases outside the Hartford/New Haven areas.

Low-cost immigration legal services, plus help for refugees and survivors of trafficking. Call 203-336-0141.