Personal Assistance & Grants

The federal government does not hand out personal grants to individuals, whatever late-night ads say. What does exist is a large set of targeted programs: rental assistance through housing authorities, utility bill help through LIHEAP, home repair grants for owners, charity care at hospitals, and emergency funds run by nonprofits like the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities. Each has its own income limit and application, and most are run at the state or county level.

This section will cover each type of help one at a time, with the programs that exist in every state and the ones that only some states run.