Assistance Programs in Mississippi

LIHEAP helps low-income Mississippi households pay heating and cooling bills and handle an energy crisis. Apply online through the Access MS portal at access.ms.gov and pick Community Services; your local Community Action Agency then processes the case and schedules an appointment. It runs in all 82 counties as funds last. Call the MDHS Community Services Division at 1-800-421-0762.

Free home energy-efficiency work for income-eligible Mississippi households: insulation, air sealing, and furnace repair or replacement that lower future bills. Apply through the Access MS portal at access.ms.gov, pick Community Services, and your local Community Action Agency handles the rest. Homeowners and renters both qualify. Call MDHS Community Services at 1-800-421-0762.

SNAP is Mississippi's food assistance program: monthly food money on an EBT card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores. Apply online through the Access MS Common Web Portal at access.ms.gov, or at your local MDHS county office. Questions about a SNAP or TANF case go to the MDHS EAE Client Services line at 1-800-948-3050.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and health referrals to pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children under age 5. Mississippi WIC runs through county health department clinics of the Mississippi State Department of Health. Call 1-800-545-6747, or 601-991-6000 in the Jackson area, to find your local clinic and start.

Mississippi Medicaid is free or low-cost health coverage for children, pregnant people, parents and caretakers of minor children, older adults, and people with disabilities, and CHIP covers children in families that earn a bit more. Mississippi has not expanded Medicaid, so most low-income adults without children or a disability do not qualify. Check eligibility and apply at medicaid.ms.gov, or call 1-800-421-2408.

CCPP helps eligible working parents pay for child care through a certificate to a licensed provider, and families pay a monthly co-payment set by family size and income. MDHS fills open slots from a waitlist, so add your email to the waitlist to get a personalized application link. Questions go to 1-800-877-7882.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, is Mississippi's monthly cash assistance for low-income families with children. Most adults take part in the TANF Work Program, which helps you build job skills and find work. Apply online through the Access MS portal at access.ms.gov or at your local MDHS county office. A 60-month lifetime limit applies.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. File online through the ReEmployMS portal at reemployms.mdes.ms.gov, which is fastest, or call the Claimants Line at 601-493-9427, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Free civil legal help for low-income residents of southern Mississippi on housing, family, public benefits, consumer, and other noncriminal matters. Call the intake hotline at 1-800-519-2915. You can also find free legal information and your local office at mslegalservices.org.

Free civil legal help for low-income residents of the northern 39 counties of Mississippi. North Mississippi Rural Legal Services handles housing, elder law, domestic violence, foreclosure, and other noncriminal matters. Call the intake line at 1-800-898-8731, Monday through Thursday, 9:30am to 3:30pm.

Dial 2-1-1 for free, confidential help finding local Mississippi assistance with housing, utilities, food, and healthcare. If 2-1-1 does not connect from your phone, search your zip code at 211.org to reach the resource center that covers your area. It is available around the clock.