Louisiana

The state's housing agency. Runs rental assistance, homeowner help, and homeless programs, and can point you to housing resources in your parish.

Free help if you're facing eviction, foreclosure, or housing discrimination, including advice on your rights as a renter.

Coordinates homeless services in the New Orleans area; if you're sleeping outside or about to lose housing there, they connect you to shelter and rehousing programs.

Free lawyers who can defend you in an eviction case in southeast Louisiana. Call 504-529-1000.

Louisiana's monthly cash assistance for very low-income families with children (the state's TANF program). Apply online through the DCFS CAFE portal.

Monthly cash help for grandparents and other relatives raising a child whose parents can't care for them. Apply through DCFS.

Emergency help with bills, food, and counseling for people of any faith in the greater New Orleans region; other dioceses across the state run similar programs.

Nonprofit hospitals in Louisiana must offer free or discounted care to low-income patients. Ask the hospital's billing office for a "financial assistance" or "charity care" application before paying anything; 211 can help you find low-cost care too.

If you qualify for Medicaid, it can pay medical bills from up to 3 months before you applied. Call 1-888-342-6207.

Free legal information and help applying for legal aid if you're being sued over medical or other debt.

Helps pay electric and gas bills, including emergency help if you have a shut-off notice. Apply through your local community action agency (listed on this page).

Free home improvements (insulation, sealing, AC/heater repairs) that lower your utility bills for good.

Emergency bill help for older adults and people with disabilities who are Entergy customers; apply through local partner agencies.

Monthly money on an EBT card to buy groceries. Apply online through the DCFS CAFE portal or call 1-888-524-3578.

The statewide network of five regional food banks. Use the site to find free food pantries and meal programs near you.

Healthy food, formula, and support for pregnant women and children under 5.

Free health coverage for low-income adults and families. Apply online or call 1-888-342-6207.

Free or very low-cost health insurance for children and teens, even if the parents don't qualify for Medicaid.

Louisiana uses the federal marketplace; if your income is modest, plans can cost very little after subsidies.

Find a community health center near you that treats you regardless of insurance, with fees based on your income.

Call or text 988 for the state's mental health and suicide crisis line, staffed by Louisiana counselors 24/7.

The state agency for mental health and addiction treatment; their site lists local human services districts where you can get low-cost care.

Runs 211 and crisis counseling lines for much of the state, including support after disasters and for opioid/substance use concerns.

Pays most of your child care costs while you work, look for work, or attend school. Run by the Louisiana Department of Education.

Child care resource and referral agency that helps families find and afford quality child care in southeast Louisiana.

Free job search help, training programs, and resume support at Business & Career Solutions Centers across the state.

File for unemployment benefits online, or call 1-866-783-5567.

Free civil legal aid (evictions, benefits, family law, disaster issues) for southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Call 504-529-1000.

Free civil legal aid covering central, north, and southwest Louisiana. Call 1-800-256-1175.

Plain-language legal guides and a single online application for free legal help anywhere in the state.

Low-cost immigration legal help (visas, green cards, citizenship) in the New Orleans area.