Texas benefits and utility help to look into during your housing search

Food, health care and cash help

Texas HHS’s service finder sends you to Your Texas Benefits to apply for SNAP food benefits, Medicaid and TANF cash help. It lists county contacts for other services too. Qualifying for housing doesn’t mean you qualify for any of them, since each program makes its own decision.

Help with utilities or rent

TDHCA’s Help for Texans connects you with local providers. For electric and gas bills, Texas uses its federal LIHEAP money for TDHCA’s energy assistance program (CEAP), which local agencies run county by county. Ask what bills the provider helps with right now, if intake is open, what area it serves and what documents it needs. Don’t assume every provider covers both rent and utilities, or has money available.

Have a short summary ready for your first call

• Your city, county and the service address.
• The specific bill or housing issue and any written deadline.
• The household information the program asks for.
• If you already applied somewhere else for the same bill.
• A safe way for the provider to contact you.

Save confirmations and follow up

Sending in a form doesn’t mean you’ve been approved. Save the confirmation, answer any document requests and ask how to check your status. Don’t pay anyone who promises to get you benefits. We can’t apply for public benefits on your behalf, so go to the official program directly. See the assistance directory for our five cities.