Assistance Programs in Tennessee

LIHEAP, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, helps low-income Tennessee households pay home heating and cooling bills. The Tennessee Housing Development Agency, THDA, runs it through a network of local community action agencies that reach all 95 counties. Payments go straight to your utility company. Apply online at thda.org/liheap or through the agency serving your county.

Tennessee's community action agencies help low-income households with utility bills, home energy costs, and other emergencies, and they deliver programs like LIHEAP and weatherization at the local level. There are 19 agencies covering all 95 counties. Find the one serving your county through the Tennessee Association of Community Action at tncommunityaction.org.

Free home energy-efficiency work for income-eligible Tennessee households: attic and wall insulation, air and duct sealing, and heating and cooling repairs that lower future bills. The Tennessee Housing Development Agency runs the Weatherization Assistance Program through local community agencies covering all 95 counties. Contact the agency serving your county to apply, since THDA does not take applications directly.

SNAP is Tennessee'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 One DHS Customer Portal at onedhs.tn.gov/csp, the same portal that handles Families First cash assistance, or at your local Family Assistance office. You can also call the One DHS Contact Center at 1-833-772-8347.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5. Tennessee WIC runs through county health departments and local clinics. Call 1-800-342-5942, which spells 1-800-DIAL-WIC, to find your local clinic and start, or visit tn.gov/health/wic.

TennCare is Tennessee's Medicaid program: free or low-cost health coverage for eligible children, pregnant women, low-income parents and caretakers, older adults, and people with disabilities. CoverKids is Tennessee's CHIP, covering children and pregnant women who earn a little too much for TennCare Medicaid. Apply online through TennCare Connect at tenncareconnect.tn.gov, or call 1-855-259-0701.

Families First is Tennessee's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, program: monthly cash assistance for low-income families with children, paired with a Personal Responsibility Plan that can include work, training, education, child care help, and transportation support. Apply online through the One DHS Customer Portal at onedhs.tn.gov/csp or at your local Family Assistance office. You can also call 1-833-772-8347.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. File online at Jobs4TN.gov, which is the fastest way, or call the Employment Security line at 1-844-224-5818.

Tennessee's legal aid programs provide free civil legal help to low-income residents on housing and eviction, family, public benefits, consumer, and other noncriminal matters. Call the free HELP4TN legal advice line at 1-844-435-7486, which spells 1-844-HELP4TN, to be connected with a licensed Tennessee attorney, or find self-help information and your local legal aid office at help4tn.org.

Dial 2-1-1 from any Tennessee phone for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utility bills, food, health care, and more. TN 211 is a statewide United Way service that answers around the clock, every day of the year. You can also text your ZIP code to 898-211. Details at uwtn.org/tn-211.