Assistance Programs in Colorado

The Low-income Energy Assistance Program, LEAP, helps low-income Colorado households pay a portion of winter home heating costs, whether you heat with gas, electric, propane, or wood. LEAP runs one season a year, November 1 through April 30. Apply online through Colorado PEAK at colorado.gov/PEAK during the season, or call 1-866-HEAT-HELP, that is 1-866-432-8435, to request a paper application or apply by phone.

Free home energy-efficiency work for income-eligible Colorado households: insulation, air sealing, and heating-system repairs that lower future bills. The Colorado Energy Office runs the Weatherization Assistance Program through local providers across the state. Because the state office does not take applications directly, contact the weatherization provider serving your county to apply.

SNAP is Colorado's food assistance program: monthly food money loaded onto a Colorado Quest EBT card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores. Apply online through Colorado PEAK at colorado.gov/PEAK, which also handles Health First Colorado, Colorado Works cash, and other benefits, or at your county human services office. The state SNAP customer service line at 1-800-816-4451 answers questions about an existing case.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum people, infants, and children up to age 5. Colorado WIC runs through local clinics. Start by filling out the online referral form at coloradowic.gov and a staff member contacts you within 10 days, or call your local WIC clinic directly. The state WIC office line is 303-692-2400.

Health First Colorado is the state's Medicaid program: free or low-cost health coverage for children, pregnant people, parents, adults, older adults, and people with disabilities. Child Health Plan Plus, CHP+, covers children and pregnant people at slightly higher incomes. Apply online through Colorado PEAK at colorado.gov/PEAK or at your county human services office. The Member Contact Center is 1-800-221-3943, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm.

The Colorado Child Tax Credit is a refundable credit for lower-income families with young children, so it can come back as cash even if you owe no state tax. It is available on tax year 2025 returns for families with a child under 17 who meet the income limits. Because of state revenue rules, the credit is not offered for tax year 2026. Claim it on your Colorado return.

Colorado's Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable credit worth a percentage of your federal EITC, so it can pay out as cash even if you owe no state tax. For tax year 2025 it equals 50 percent of your federal EITC. For tax year 2026 the rate drops to 25 percent. Claim it on your Colorado income tax return.

Colorado Works is the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, program: monthly cash assistance for low-income families with a child in the home, paired with job training and employment support. Apply online through Colorado PEAK at colorado.gov/PEAK or at your county human services office. Counties run the program and have up to 45 days to process a completed application.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. File your claim online through MyUI+ at cdle.colorado.gov, which is the fastest way, or call the customer support center at 1-800-388-5515 or 303-318-9000, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm.

Colorado Legal Services provides free civil legal help to low-income and older Colorado residents on housing, family, public benefits, consumer, and other noncriminal matters. Call the intake line at 303-837-1313 to reach the office serving your area, or apply online at coloradolegalservices.org. Free plain-language legal information and self-help forms are at lawhelp.colorado.gov.

Dial 2-1-1 from any Colorado phone, or call 1-866-760-6489, for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and more. 211 Colorado covers all 64 counties and updates its resource database daily. You can also text your zip code to 898-211 or search at 211colorado.org.