Benefits Assistance
Food, healthcare, utilities, housing, childcare and more. Our case managers identify what you qualify for and walk each application through with you — from paperwork to approval.
Utilities
HEAP — Home Energy Assistance
A one-time yearly credit toward your heating bill, funded federally and open to households at or below 175% of the federal poverty level.
Details UtilitiesPIPP — Percentage of Income Payment Plan
Pay a fixed, affordable percentage of your monthly income for gas and electric instead of the full bill — for households at or below 175% of the poverty level.
Details UtilitiesElectric Partnership Program (EPP)
A free in-home electric audit that can replace inefficient refrigerators and freezers and install energy-saving measures for PIPP-eligible households.
Details UtilitiesLifeline — Free Phone & Internet Discount
A federal program providing a free cell phone with free minutes — and discounted internet — for qualifying Ohio residents.
Details UtilitiesWater & Sewer Affordability Discount
A 40% discount on your Cleveland Water bill and Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District bill for income-eligible homeowners.
Details UtilitiesSewer Crisis Assistance
One-time help that pays 50% of your sewer balance (up to $300) after a major life event like job loss, medical expenses, separation or divorce.
DetailsFood
SNAP — Food Assistance
Monthly money for groceries on an Ohio Direction Card, for households with gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level.
Details FoodWIC — Women, Infants & Children
Healthy food, nutrition guidance and health referrals for pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children under five — now with expanded kosher options in Ohio.
DetailsHealth Coverage
Medicaid
Free or very low-cost health coverage for Ohio adults with income up to 138% of the federal poverty level — with retroactive coverage up to 3 months.
Details Health CoverageHealthy Start — Children's Health Insurance (CHIP)
Free health insurance for children up to age 19 in families with income up to about 206% of the federal poverty level.
Details Health CoverageMedicaid for Pregnant Women
Prenatal and postnatal coverage for expectant mothers with income up to 200% of the federal poverty level.
Details Health CoverageAged, Blind & Disabled (ABD) Medicaid
Medicaid coverage for people 65+, legally blind, or disabled — including long-term care and the Medicaid Buy-In for Workers with Disabilities.
DetailsFamily & Cash
Child Care Assistance
Ohio helps working and studying parents pay for licensed child care — you pay a co-payment based on income and family size.
Details Family & CashOhio Works First — Cash Assistance
Time-limited monthly cash assistance for eligible families with children (Ohio's TANF program).
DetailsHousing
Lead Safe Home Program
Grants to make homes built before 1978 lead-safe when a young child or pregnant woman lives in — or regularly visits — the home.
Details HousingDown Payment Assistance
Up to $10,000 toward the purchase of a one- or two-family home in Cleveland Heights for income-eligible first-time buyers.
Details HousingEmergency Home Repair
Emergency plumbing help for owner-occupied homes — hot water tank repair or replacement, service line replacement, and major plumbing repairs.
Details HousingProject Repair — Learn & Fix
Hands-on workshops that teach you home repair skills, plus tool loans and merchant discounts, through the Home Repair Resource Center.
Details HousingWeatherization Assistance
Free energy-efficiency improvements — insulation, air sealing, and furnace repair or replacement — for households at or below 200% of the poverty level.
DetailsProgram rules and income limits change. If you're close to a limit — or not sure — let us check for you.
Check eligibilityNot sure where to start? Start with us.
One conversation with a case manager can uncover programs you never knew you qualified for. Free, confidential, and judgment-free.