Benefits Assistance
Food, healthcare, utilities, housing, childcare and more. Our case managers identify what you qualify for and walk each application through with you — from paperwork to approval.
Utilities
HEAP — Home Energy Assistance
A one-time yearly credit toward your heating bill, funded federally and open to households at or below 175% of the federal poverty level.
Details UtilitiesPIPP — Percentage of Income Payment Plan
Pay a fixed, affordable percentage of your monthly income for gas and electric instead of the full bill — for households at or below 175% of the poverty level.
Details UtilitiesLifeline — Free Phone & Internet Discount
A federal discount on phone or internet service — which some Ohio providers apply as a no-cost phone plan — for qualifying residents.
Details UtilitiesWater Affordability Discount
A 40% discount on your Cleveland Water bill for homeowners with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
Details UtilitiesSewer Affordability Discount
A 40% discount on your Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District bill for households at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines — renters included.
Details UtilitiesSewer Crisis Assistance
One-time help that pays 50% of your sewer balance (up to $300) after a major life event like job loss, medical expenses, separation or divorce.
Details UtilitiesSummer Sprinkling Program
The Summer Sprinkling Program helps eligible residential customers save on sewer bills from May 1 through September 30 by basing charges on the lower of their average winter water use or actual summer water use.
DetailsFood
SNAP — Food Assistance
Monthly money for groceries on an Ohio Direction Card, for households with gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level.
Details FoodWIC — Women, Infants & Children
Healthy food, nutrition guidance and health referrals for pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children under five — now with expanded kosher options in Ohio.
Details FoodS-EBT/SUN Bucks
The Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) program provides eligible families with a one-time $120 grocery benefit per school-aged child during the summer, redeemable at authorized food retailers, without affecting immigration status.
DetailsHealth Coverage
Medicaid
Free or very low-cost health coverage for Ohio adults with income up to 138% of the federal poverty level — with retroactive coverage from the date you apply.
Details Health CoverageHealthy Start — Children's Health Insurance (CHIP)
Free health insurance for children up to age 19 in families with income up to about 206% of the federal poverty level.
Details Health CoverageMedicaid for Pregnant Women
Prenatal and postnatal coverage for expectant mothers with income up to 200% of the federal poverty level.
Details Health CoverageAged, Blind & Disabled (ABD) Medicaid
Medicaid coverage for people 65+, legally blind, or disabled — including long-term care and the Medicaid Buy-In for Workers with Disabilities.
Details Health CoverageHospital Financial Assistance
Free or discounted hospital care — Ohio hospitals must treat low-income patients free under HCAP, and Cleveland's hospital systems offer their own generous assistance programs on top.
DetailsChild Care
Publicly Funded Child Care
Ohio helps working and studying parents pay for licensed child care — you pay a co-payment based on income and family size.
Details Child CareChild Care Choice Voucher
Vouchers that help families who earn slightly too much for publicly funded child care — gross income between 146% and 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
DetailsHousing
Lead Safe Home Program
Grants to make homes built before 1978 lead-safe when a young child or pregnant woman lives in — or regularly visits — the home.
Details HousingDown Payment Assistance
Up to $30,000 (single-family) or $50,000 (two-family) toward the purchase of a home in Cleveland Heights for income-eligible buyers.
Details HousingEmergency Home Repair
Emergency plumbing help for owner-occupied homes — hot water tank repair or replacement, service line replacement, and major plumbing repairs.
Details HousingProject Repair — Learn & Fix
Hands-on workshops that teach you home repair skills, plus tool loans and merchant discounts, through the Home Repair Resource Center.
Details HousingWeatherization Assistance
Free energy-efficiency improvements — insulation, air sealing, and furnace repair or replacement — for households at or below 200% of the poverty level.
DetailsProgram rules and income limits change. If you're close to a limit — or not sure — let us check for you.
Check eligibilityNot sure where to start? Start with us.
One conversation with a case manager can uncover programs you never knew you qualified for. Free, confidential, and judgment-free.