ACCESS TO public benefitS
People have a right to access public benefits. Below you can find information about public benefits programs and links to specific data source pages to help determine your access levels.
Public benefits are programs provided by local and federal governments to support those in need. There are two major types of public benefit assistance programs: social welfare programs and social insurance programs.
Benefits received from social welfare programs, such as nutrition or cash assistance, are usually based on income eligibility criteria.
Benefits received from social insurance programs, such as Social Security, unemployment insurance, or health assistance, are usually based on eligibility criteria such as age, employment status, or being a veteran.
Many people eligible for benefits do not enroll because of stigma, technology, or language barriers, lack of information, lack of transportation to provider agencies, or complicated applications. These barriers prevent people from getting the help to which they have a right.
public BENEFIT programs
Many federally funded public benefits are administered by states with considerable variability, such as varying amounts of funding for certain programs, or eligibility of beneficiaries and individuals.
Below are links providing more information about the primary U.S. public benefits programs:
NUTRITION ASSISTANCE
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps)
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Free or reduced-price school meals
See also: Access to Food Data page for more.
CASH ASSISTANCE
SOCIAL INSURANCE
Health Assistance: Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
See also: Access to Healthcare Data page for more.
HOUSING ASSISTANCE
Rental subsidies (including Section 8 Housing vouchers and public housing)
Energy assistance (including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program)
access to data pages
Below are links to the specific data pages for each of the types of public benefits. Please click on them to find data about benefit access relevant to your community.