Government Assistance Programs to Help Low-Income Households

• Author: Marsha Howe
• Posted: 2024-04-01

The temporary increase to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ended this month. The boost to SNAP came from a short-term Congressional effort to help low-income individuals and families confront emergencies and challenges associated with COVID-19.

Although the added funding to SNAP has stopped, the program continues. Several other government assistance programs are also available to low-income households, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
 

SNAP, TANF, and LIHEAP Government Assistance Programs

Up to March 2023, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provided an additional $95 in benefits to beneficiaries to help meet the ongoing challenges of COVID-19. Although these emergency allotments have expired, SNAP still provides considerable support to low-income individuals and families.

SNAP issues Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards that are similar to debit cards and allow recipients to buy groceries and other necessities. This program also provides food vouchers to about 23 million households. SNAP is meant to supplement family budgets, allow households to buy healthy food, and provide a pathway to self-sufficiency.

Applications are processed through the states, which determine income and resource-level requirements. Along with SNAP, the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) offers food or vouchers for households with pregnant women and children up to age six.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) provides grant funds to states and territories to help low-income families with children. This program is managed by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, but states are responsible for allocating monthly cash payments to households.

This federal program originated in the 1990s and replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. The federal government issues block grants to states, which also contribute funding, to help children live and be cared for in their family’s or relative’s home.

TANF money can be used to pay for food, clothing, housing, and medical care. To be eligible, applicants need to be U.S. citizens, nationals, or legal aliens, unemployed or underemployed, and have a low to very low-income level. Further, the recipient must have a child who is 18 years of age or younger, be pregnant, or be age 18 or younger and head of the household.

In addition to cash assistance, the TANF program offers services to enable low-income families to achieve self-sufficiency. This program helps prepare recipients in such areas as preparing for a job and marriage and screenings for mental health issues.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps low-income families with the costs of energy. This federal program provides assistance with paying for home energy bills and repairs. The main requirements are that applicants have a high percentage of income going toward heating and cooling costs, or have elderly, young, or disabled household members.

This program has helped residents of low-income areas such as Washington, D.C., make it through the tough conditions of winter and individuals with disabilities in Virginia pay energy bills. Because of COVID-19, this program received increased funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) which provided emergency funds for HVAC repair and replacement.

In February, $1 billion of funds were released for LIHEAP for this fiscal year.
 

Medicaid and Government Assistance Programs

Medicaid is the long-standing federal health insurance program for low-income families and individuals. This program arose in the 1960s as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiatives and was designed to provide health services and reduce expenses.

This government assistance program is operated by a division of the Department of Health and Human Services and provides low-cost or free health coverage for about 20% of U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens.

Through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid was expanded to cover almost all adults who have incomes up to 138% of the poverty level. As of February 2023, 40 states have accepted this expanded coverage. Medicaid is a government program that is currently in the middle of the Congressional budget debates.

For help with understanding Medicaid, LIHEAP, TANF, or SNAP and to learn about other government assistance programs, visit Benefits Depot. These programs can help struggling families and individuals with household and medical expenses.