Pennsylvania

The state housing agency offers free housing counselors who can help you deal with rent trouble, foreclosure, or finding an affordable place to live. Call 1-855-827-3466.

A state loan program that helps homeowners who fell behind on their mortgage through no fault of their own catch up and avoid foreclosure. Apply through a free PHFA counselor: 1-855-827-3466.

County-run help if you're homeless or about to lose your housing, including rent help to prevent eviction, case management, and emergency shelter referrals. Contact your county assistance office or call 211 to find your local program.

Monthly cash for very low-income families with children, plus one-time Emergency Assistance in some situations. Apply online through COMPASS, Pennsylvania's benefits portal, or call the DHS helpline at 1-800-692-7462.

Finds your county's Community Action Agency, which can help with emergency rent, utility bills, food, and getting back on your feet. Every PA county is covered.

Local Salvation Army offices across PA help with emergency food, utility bills, rent, and shelter. Use the site's location finder or call 211 to reach the office nearest you (Western PA is served through the Salvation Army's Western PA division).

The state has partnered with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to buy up and erase old hospital debt for lower-income Pennsylvanians. There's no application — if your debt qualifies, you get a letter saying it's forgiven.

Free lawyers who help low-income Pennsylvanians fight medical bills, denied Medicaid coverage, and lost benefits. Helpline: 1-800-274-3258.

Files complaints and mediates disputes over hospital bills, insurance denials, and billing errors for free. Health Care helpline: 1-877-888-4877. Also ask any PA hospital for its "financial assistance" or charity care policy — nonprofit hospitals must have one and may wipe out or reduce your bill.

Grants (not loans) to help pay heating bills, plus crisis money if your heat is off or about to be shut off. Apply on COMPASS or call 1-866-857-7095.

• COMPASS

Free home repairs like insulation, air sealing, and furnace fixes that lower your energy bills for good, for households at or below 200% of the poverty level.

Every major PA utility must offer a CAP that lowers your monthly bill based on income, plus hardship funds and shut-off protections. Call your utility and ask for their "Customer Assistance Program," or call the PUC at 1-800-692-7380.

A hardship fund that gives one-time grants to help pay utility bills for households in crisis, working with most PA electric, gas, and water companies. Call 1-888-282-6816.

Monthly money on an EBT card to buy groceries. Apply online through COMPASS or call the DHS helpline at 1-800-692-7462; benefits can start within days if you have almost no income.

The network of PA's regional food banks. Use their site to find your local food bank and free food pantries near you — no paperwork needed at most pantries.

Free healthy food, formula, and nutrition support for pregnant people and kids under 5. Call 1-800-WIC-WINS (1-800-942-9467) to apply.

Free or very low-cost health coverage for low-income adults, kids, pregnant people, and people with disabilities. Apply on COMPASS or call 1-866-550-4355.

Health insurance for every uninsured kid in PA — free or low-cost depending on income, and no family makes too much to qualify. Apply on COMPASS or call 1-800-986-KIDS.

Pennsylvania's official health insurance marketplace, with income-based discounts that can make plans very cheap if you don't have coverage through work. Call 1-844-844-8040.

Find one of PA's 450+ community health centers, which see everyone — insured or not — and charge on a sliding scale based on what you can afford.

Every PA county has a 24/7 mental health crisis line and mobile crisis teams. Call 211 (or 988) and ask for your county's crisis intervention number, or search pa211.org.

The state's free, confidential drug and alcohol helpline connects you to treatment (including if you're uninsured) any time, day or night. Call 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357).

Free support groups, education, and help navigating the mental health system for people living with mental illness and their families. Helpline: 1-888-264-7972.

Pennsylvania's childcare subsidy pays most of your childcare bill if you're working or in school and income-eligible. Apply on COMPASS or call your local Early Learning Resource Center (find it at 1-877-4-PA-KIDS).

• COMPASS

Find free Head Start and Early Head Start preschool and family support programs for low-income kids from birth to age 5 anywhere in PA. Call 717-526-4646.

Pennsylvania's helpline for grandparents and relatives raising children, connecting kinship caregivers to benefits, legal information, and support. Call 1-866-KIN-2111.

Free job centers in every region with job listings, resume help, paid training programs, and staff who help you get back to work fast.

Weekly payments if you lost your job through no fault of your own. File online at uc.pa.gov or call 1-888-313-7284 — apply the first week you're out of work.

Statewide programs offering free transit for seniors 65+, reduced shared-ride (door-to-door) fares, and discounted rides for people with disabilities. Ask your county transit agency or call 211 for the provider in your area.

Free civil legal help (evictions, benefits denials, debt, domestic violence) for low-income Pennsylvanians through local legal aid offices in every county. Call 1-800-322-7572 to be connected to your local program.

Plain-language legal guides and self-help forms for PA renters facing eviction, people dealing with debt collectors, and more — plus a directory of free legal help near you.

Free and low-cost immigration legal services for low-income immigrants and refugees, including citizenship, asylum, and help if you or a family member faces ICE action. Call 215-832-0900.

Free legal help for immigrants in detention and their families in central PA and beyond. Call 717-600-8099.