There are over 80 federal benefit programs for low and moderate-income Americans. Eighty. And study after study shows that fewer than a third of eligible people use the ones they qualify for. I think about this statistic constantly because I've been the person sitting across the desk from a single dad learning he qualified for four programs and was using zero of them. The look on his face -- anger mixed with relief -- is something I see a lot in this work.
The big three that everyone should check first: SNAP for food ($194/person/month average), Medicaid for healthcare (93 million enrolled, covering 1 in 3 Americans), and CHIP for kids' health coverage if your income is too high for Medicaid but too low for decent private insurance. CHIP income limits hit 300% of poverty in some states. That's about $93,000 for a family of four. The number of families I've met paying $0 premiums for comprehensive CHIP coverage who thought insurance would cost $800/month... it's a lot.
Housing assistance is not just Section 8. I need to say that louder because everyone thinks Section 8 is the only game in town. Yes, Housing Choice Vouchers are the biggest program -- they cover a chunk of your rent and you pay about 30% of income. Waitlists are brutal, often 2-5 years. Apply anyway. Get on the list now. But also look at public housing (shorter waits usually), HUD's HOME program for first-time buyers, and -- this one blows people's minds -- the USDA Rural Development loan program. Zero down payment. And their definition of 'rural' covers 97% of US land mass. Suburbs count. Exurbs definitely count.
Tax credits that people leave on the table make me genuinely upset. The Earned Income Tax Credit is worth up to $7,430 for working families and roughly one in five eligible people don't claim it. One in five. If you earned under $63,398 in 2024 with kids, run the numbers. Then there's SSI at $943/month for elderly and disabled individuals with limited resources. SSDI for people with work history and a qualifying disability. TANF for families with children, though benefits and time limits vary so much by state it's almost a different program depending on where you live.
Energy and utilities: LIHEAP for heating and cooling bills (covered in its own article on this site). Weatherization Assistance Program for free energy upgrades -- average investment is $7,669 per home. Lifeline gives $9.25/month off phone or internet. These aren't huge individual amounts but they compound. A family using LIHEAP, WAP, and Lifeline together might save $1,500-2,000/year on utilities alone.
For parents: Head Start is free preschool for families at or below poverty, and it includes meals and health screenings, not just education. WIC covers food and nutrition counseling for pregnant women, new moms, infants, and kids under 5. Income limit is about $55,000 for a family of four. If you just had a baby and money is tight, WIC should be your first call. The Child Care and Development Fund helps working parents pay for childcare with income-based copays.
Veterans -- and I'm going to be blunt here -- are the most under-enrolled population for benefits, which is inexcusable given what they were promised. VA healthcare, disability compensation, GI Bill education benefits, vocational rehab, the VA home loan (zero down, no PMI), pension benefits. I sat with a Vietnam-era vet who'd been eligible for disability compensation for two decades and never filed because he thought his service 'wasn't bad enough.' Approved at $1,800/month. Contact your county Veterans Service Officer. The consultation is free. They exist in nearly every county in America.
My three-step starting point for anyone who thinks they might qualify for something: First, go to Benefits.gov. Use their screening tool. Takes 15 minutes. It'll show every federal program you might be eligible for. Second, dial 2-1-1. Talk to a real person about state and local programs the federal tool doesn't cover. Third, visit a community action agency near you. They specialize in multi-program enrollment. I've watched caseworkers get families signed up for three or four programs in a single appointment. Combined value: $1,500/month or more. Don't navigate the bureaucracy alone when people are literally paid to help you through it.
