Texas financial assistance directory
Low-Income Help and Resources in Texas
If household costs are hard to manage, Texas has programs that may help with food, housing, utilities, healthcare, child care, cash assistance, employment, and other basic needs. Some benefits use statewide application systems, while housing, energy, aging, workforce, and emergency programs often route residents to local or regional providers.
Money Fit serves Texas residents statewide. If debt or monthly payments are also part of the problem, call 800-432-0310 or start a confidential debt review.
Where to start
Your Texas Benefits is the main application system for SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, and related state benefits. For local food, housing, utility, transportation, crisis, and other community services, 2-1-1 Texas can connect residents with programs serving their ZIP code or county.
Apply for food, cash, or healthcare benefits
Your Texas Benefits lets residents apply for SNAP food benefits, TANF cash help, Medicaid, and other state programs, then manage renewals and case information online.
Find nearby help statewide
2-1-1 Texas is a free statewide information and referral service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Option 1 connects callers with community programs. Option 2 provides help with state benefits and Your Texas Benefits.
Housing or utility assistance
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs programs are generally delivered through local organizations. Help for Texans identifies providers serving a city or county and notes that funding may not always be available.
Local routing matters in Texas. TDHCA housing and energy programs use local subrecipients, child care scholarships are handled through Workforce Solutions areas, public housing authorities have separate service areas and waiting lists, and aging or disability resources are organized by regional Area Agencies on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Centers.
Food assistance
For ongoing grocery assistance, start with SNAP or WIC when the household may qualify. For food needed sooner, Feeding Texas member food banks and 2-1-1 Texas can help locate pantries, meal programs, and benefits assistance throughout the state.
Texas SNAP
SNAP provides food benefits to eligible Texas households. Residents can apply through Your Texas Benefits, manage an existing case online, or call 2-1-1 and select Option 2 for state-benefit assistance.
Texas WIC
WIC provides healthy foods, nutrition support, breastfeeding help, and referrals for eligible pregnant or postpartum participants, infants, and children younger than five. An application can be started online or by contacting a local WIC office.
Texas WIC: 800-942-3678
Feeding Texas food-bank network
Feeding Texas has 20 member food banks serving all 254 Texas counties. Local food banks can help residents locate free meals and food distributions, apply for benefits such as SNAP or Medicaid, and connect with other community resources.
Texas SNAP purchase rules changed April 1, 2026. SNAP benefits can no longer be used in Texas to buy candy, drinks containing artificial sweeteners, or drinks containing at least five grams of added sugar.
Tropical Storm Edouard replacement-benefit deadlines: SNAP recipients in Angelina, Galveston, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler counties have until September 21, 2026 to request replacement benefits for eligible food lost or destroyed in the storm. Affected SNAP recipients can call 2-1-1 and select Option 7 after choosing a language. Texas WIC participants who lost food purchased with September benefits due to power outages or storm damage should contact their WIC office before September 30, 2026. Confirm the current disaster-benefit route before relying on a deadline.
Housing, rent, and utility help
Texas housing and energy assistance is largely administered through local providers, public housing authorities, cities, counties, and nonprofit organizations. Funding, service areas, and waiting lists can differ by community.
TDHCA Help for Texans
Help for Texans identifies local organizations for rent, utility, weatherization, housing, homelessness, and related assistance. TDHCA directs program funding to local provider organizations and does not accept individual assistance applications itself.
Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program
CEAP helps qualifying low-income households with immediate energy needs and energy education. TDHCA administers the program through local subrecipients that collectively cover all 254 Texas counties.
Weatherization Assistance Program
Texas weatherization assistance can help eligible households reduce energy costs through approved efficiency measures. The program is delivered by subrecipients that collectively cover all 254 counties.
Housing Choice Vouchers and local housing authorities
Texas has multiple public housing authorities with separate service areas and waiting lists. TDHCA administers Housing Choice Vouchers in its own 34-county service area, while other housing authorities serve other parts of the state.
HUD public housing help: 800-955-2232
Emergency shelter and homelessness services
Emergency Solutions Grants support local shelter, street outreach, rapid re-housing, and homelessness-prevention services. Individuals seeking help should use Help for Texans or 2-1-1 Texas to identify the provider serving their area.
TexasLawHelp.org
TexasLawHelp.org provides free civil legal information and a directory of legal-aid organizations. Housing resources include eviction information, landlord-tenant issues, utility shutoffs, and local legal-aid referrals.
TDHCA assistance is locally administered. TDHCA says its funds go to provider organizations rather than directly to individuals, and a local provider may be at capacity or out of available funds. Texas also announced $166 million in energy-assistance awards scheduled to begin January 1, 2027 through 35 government or nonprofit contract holders serving all 254 counties. Current help should still be confirmed with the local provider serving the household.
Healthcare coverage and clinics
Texas Medicaid and CHIP applications can be started through Your Texas Benefits. Households that do not qualify for Medicaid or CHIP may also compare Marketplace coverage through HealthCare.gov.
Texas Medicaid
Texas Medicaid provides health coverage to eligible children and families, pregnant women, older adults, people with disabilities, and other qualifying groups. Applications can be submitted through Your Texas Benefits.
Medicaid help line: 800-335-8957
Children's Health Insurance Program
CHIP provides health coverage for qualifying children who are not eligible for Medicaid based on household income. A Texas benefits application is evaluated for Medicaid and CHIP as appropriate.
HealthCare.gov
Texas residents who do not qualify for Medicaid or CHIP may be able to compare private health plans through the federal Marketplace and receive premium assistance depending on household circumstances and current federal rules.
Community health centers
Federally supported health centers provide primary care and may also offer dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, substance-use treatment, and other services. Health centers serve insured and uninsured patients and use sliding-fee programs based on income and family size.
Child care, family, and cash assistance
Texas child care scholarships are administered through local Workforce Solutions areas. TANF and related cash-assistance programs use Your Texas Benefits and Texas Health and Human Services eligibility rules.
Child Care Services scholarships
Texas Child Care Services scholarships help eligible families pay for child care while parents work, look for work, attend school, or participate in job training. Eligibility screening and waiting-list applications are handled through Texas Child Care Connection and the family's local Workforce Solutions office.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
TANF provides cash help to qualifying Texas families with children for basic needs. Applications are accepted through Your Texas Benefits, and eligibility depends on household income, resources, family circumstances, and current program rules.
One-Time TANF programs
Texas offers One-Time TANF for certain eligible families in crisis and One-Time TANF for Relatives for qualifying relatives caring for a related child receiving TANF. Texas policy effective April 1, 2026 sets these one-time payments at $1,000 for eligible households.
Head Start and Early Head Start
Head Start programs provide early learning, health, nutrition, and family support for eligible young children and families. Local programs handle applications, openings, and waiting lists.
Locator help: 866-763-6481
Texas child care scholarship limits change October 1, 2026. Texas Child Care Connection has posted new income limits and parent-share-of-cost tables for October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Enrollment still depends on available funding, and families may be placed on a waiting list. Waiting-list status is handled by the local Workforce Solutions office.
Work, legal help, and essential services
Job loss, legal problems, and loss of affordable phone or internet service can affect housing, healthcare, transportation, and the rest of the household budget.
Texas unemployment benefits
Eligible workers who lose a job or have hours reduced through no fault of their own may qualify for temporary unemployment benefits. Texas Workforce Commission accepts applications online or by phone.
TWC Tele-Center: 800-939-6631
Workforce Solutions
Local Workforce Solutions offices provide job-search assistance, employment services, training information, and other workforce resources. Service offerings and program eligibility can differ by workforce area.
TexasLawHelp.org legal-aid directory
TexasLawHelp.org connects residents with free civil legal information and legal-aid organizations serving specific counties. Topics include housing, public benefits, family safety, debt, consumer issues, employment, and other civil matters.
Federal Lifeline benefit
Lifeline may reduce the monthly cost of qualifying phone or broadband service. Eligibility can be based on household income or participation in certain public benefit programs.
Lifeline Support Center: 800-234-9473
Older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers
Texas Health and Human Services maintains county-based directories for Area Agencies on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Centers. These programs can help residents and caregivers find long-term services, benefits, transportation, meals, and other local support.
Aging and Disability Resource Centers
ADRCs help older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, veterans, and families understand long-term services and supports and connect with local resources. Texas HHS can route callers who are not sure which office serves them.
Texas HHS resource navigation: 855-937-2372
Area Agencies on Aging
Area Agencies on Aging connect older Texans and caregivers with local services that may include meals, transportation, benefits counseling, caregiver support, wellness programs, legal assistance, and other community-based resources.
Texas Adult Protective Services
Adult Protective Services investigates reports involving abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of adults age 65 or older and adults ages 18 through 64 with qualifying disabilities that substantially impair independent living or self-protection.
Report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation: 800-252-5400
Crisis, safety, and disaster resources
If someone is in immediate danger, has a life-threatening medical emergency, or cannot stay safe, call 911.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call, text, or chat 988 for free, confidential crisis support involving suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, mental health concerns, or substance use. The service is available 24 hours a day.
Call or text: 988
Family violence support
Texas Family Violence Program providers offer emergency shelter and supportive services to survivors of family violence and their children. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can also connect callers with local services and safety planning.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233)
2-1-1 Texas
2-1-1 Texas is a free, statewide information and referral service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It can connect residents with food, housing, child care, crisis, transportation, and other local resources.
Call: 211 or 877-541-7905
Texas Division of Emergency Management
TDEM maintains current disaster declarations, recovery resources, and the iSTAT damage-reporting tool. As of September 17, 2026, TDEM lists six active state disaster declarations. Assistance available to an individual household depends on the specific event, county, declaration, insurance, and application period.
Federal and SBA disaster assistance varies by event
FEMA Public Assistance was approved September 3 for 19 counties affected by July storms and flooding. That Public Assistance funding is for eligible government and nonprofit emergency work and damaged facilities, not direct household grants. In the latest TDEM update reviewed for this directory, Texas's request for FEMA Individual Assistance for 30 affected counties remained pending.
The U.S. Small Business Administration separately approved disaster assistance on September 14 for Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina, and Wilson counties after August severe storms. SBA disaster assistance is generally provided through qualifying low-interest loans, not grants.
Review the household budget and unsecured debt together
Public assistance may help with food, housing, healthcare, child care, or utilities while credit cards, medical bills, collections, personal loans, payday loans, or other unsecured debts continue affecting the household budget. Money Fit nonprofit credit counseling can help Texas residents review income, expenses, debts, and possible next steps.
A debt management plan may help organize eligible unsecured debts into one monthly payment to Money Fit, which then sends payments to participating creditors. It is not a new loan or debt settlement. Creditor participation, concessions, account treatment, fees, and payment changes can vary.
Money Fit does not provide cash assistance, food benefits, rent assistance, utility benefits, government benefits, or emergency grants. The counseling form below is for help reviewing debt and monthly payments.
Open the Money Fit debt review form
Share a few details so Money Fit can respond to your request. Your information stays with Money Fit and is not sent to a marketplace of lenders or debt companies.
Related Money Fit resources
These resources can help with debt, housing, financial education, and assistance in other states.
