Welfare
PLA helps clients get and keep benefits from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, including:
- Cash Assistance, also known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
- Suppemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as Food Stamps)
- Medical Assistance (also known as Medicaid)
- Subsidized child care
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
How to get help with Welfare
The following departments at PLA provide legal assistance with Welfare:
Intake Procedure:Applicants may call the telephone intake line, except that applicants whose legal problem is SSI need to apply through Community Legal Services (CLS). For the intake hours at CLS, see the SSI page of CLS's web site.
Applicants may also apply online (for legal problems other than SSI).
Self-Help Resources
On August 1, 2019, the cash assistance program known as General Assistance, which provides benefits of $205 per month, will no longer be available.
For more information about what the termination of the General Assistance program means, and how it will impact you, read Important Information About Pennsylvania General Assistance.
If you need help applying for public benefits, unemployment compensation, or the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), free help is available from the City of Philadelphia. You can get one-on-one counseling from BenePhilly over the phone or in person.
The toll-free number for BenePhilly is 844-848-4376. You can also walk in to one of six BenePhilly Centers.
COMPASS is a web site provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to allow Pennsylvanians to apply for public benefits on-line.
Individuals and families who receive cash assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program are required to apply for child or spousal support unless excused "for good cause." This brochure explains how TANF recipients may be excused from this requirement if filing for support could lead to violence.
