Assistance Programs in Georgia

Georgia's LIHEAP helps income-qualified households pay heating and cooling bills, with crisis help for life-threatening energy emergencies. DFCS funds community action agencies that take applications; seniors 65+ and the medically homebound get an early application window.

Free whole-house energy efficiency improvements for income-qualified Georgia households: air and duct sealing, insulation, and HVAC upgrades that shrink future bills. The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority runs it through local community action agencies.

Nutritious foods on an eWIC card, breastfeeding support, health education, and referrals for pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children in Georgia. Apply through Georgia Gateway or your county health department; call 800-228-9173 with questions.

Georgia SNAP puts monthly grocery money on an EBT card. Apply through Georgia Gateway at gateway.ga.gov, where one account also handles Medicaid, TANF, WIC, and child care assistance, or call DFCS at 877-423-4746.

Free or low-cost health coverage for eligible Georgia children, pregnant women, seniors, people who are blind or disabled, and some low-income parents. One Georgia Gateway application screens every Medicaid category and PeachCare for Kids together.

Georgia's CHIP: affordable health coverage for uninsured children up to age 18 whose families earn too much for Medicaid. DCH now charges no premiums for PeachCare; small copays of $0.50 to $12.50 apply for some services.

Monthly cash for very-low-income Georgia families with children under 18, and pregnant women. Apply at gateway.ga.gov or by paper Form 297 to your county DFCS office; adults are limited to 48 months in a lifetime.

Georgia's unemployment benefits: temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own. File online through the Georgia Department of Labor's MyUI Claimant Portal or at a local career center; the maximum duration adjusts between 14 and 26 weeks with the state unemployment rate.

Free plain-language legal information for Georgians on eviction, foreclosure, public benefits, family law, and debt, run by Atlanta Legal Aid and the Georgia Legal Services Program, with self-help forms and a virtual assistant.

Dial 2-1-1 from any Georgia phone for free, confidential help finding local assistance: food, housing, utility bills, health care, and more. Regional United Way centers answer for their own service areas across the state.