Assistance Programs in Arizona

LIHEAP helps low-income Arizona households pay home energy bills, run by DES through local Community Action Agencies. Standard help is up to $640 toward your utility bill, and a household facing a shutoff can qualify for an added one-time crisis payment of up to $500 per 12-month period. Apply through the DES online portal, or contact your local Community Action Agency, which takes applications and can help you complete them.

Arizona bars its regulated electric utilities from disconnecting your power during the hottest months. Under Arizona Corporation Commission rules, companies like Arizona Public Service, Tucson Electric Power, and UNS Electric cannot shut off service from June 1 through October 15, or when high heat is forecast. Your bill still adds up during the moratorium, so call your utility about a payment plan and apply for LIHEAP. To report a wrongful disconnection, call ACC Consumer Services at 1-800-222-7000.

Free home energy-efficiency work for income-eligible Arizona households: insulation, air sealing, and heating and cooling improvements that lower future bills and make the home safer in extreme heat. The Arizona Department of Housing runs it through local providers. Apply by contacting the weatherization provider for your county, listed on the Department of Housing program page.

Nutrition Assistance is what Arizona calls SNAP: monthly food money on an EBT card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores. The Department of Economic Security (DES) runs it. Apply online through Health-e-Arizona Plus at healthearizonaplus.gov, which also covers AHCCCS health coverage and Cash Assistance on one application, or call 1-855-432-7587.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum people, infants, and children up to age 5. The Arizona Department of Health Services runs it through local clinics. Call 1-800-252-5942 to find the clinic nearest you, or start online at azdhs.gov.

AHCCCS, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, is the state's Medicaid program: free or low-cost health coverage for children, pregnant people, parents, older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income adults. Apply online through Health-e-Arizona Plus at healthearizonaplus.gov, or call 1-855-432-7587 to apply by phone.

KidsCare is Arizona's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), run by AHCCCS: low-cost health coverage for children under 19 whose family earns too much for regular AHCCCS but still needs affordable coverage. KidsCare monthly premiums are paused until further notice. Apply online through Health-e-Arizona Plus at healthearizonaplus.gov.

Cash Assistance is Arizona's TANF program: a modest monthly cash payment for low-income families with children, run by DES. Arizona holds adults to a lifetime limit of 12 months of Cash Assistance, one of the shortest in the country, and most adults take part in the Jobs Program. Apply online through Health-e-Arizona Plus at healthearizonaplus.gov or by phone at 1-855-432-7587.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Arizona Department of Economic Security. You file online, since DES has no walk-in unemployment offices, then file a weekly claim for each week you want to be paid. The UI Call Center is 1-877-600-2722, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm Mountain Standard Time.

Arizona's legal aid programs give free civil legal help to low-income residents on housing, eviction, family, public benefits, and consumer problems. Community Legal Services covers Maricopa, La Paz, Mohave, Yavapai, and Yuma counties at 1-800-852-9075. For anywhere in the state, apply through AZLawHelp.org or call 1-866-637-5341 to be routed to the program serving your area.

Dial 2-1-1 from any Arizona phone, or call 1-877-211-8661 from anywhere in the state, for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utilities, food, health, and more. 2-1-1 Arizona, a program of Solari, answers from 9am to 7pm, seven days a week, in English and Spanish. You can also search at 211arizona.org.