Public assistance and government aid York County Pennsylvania.
Programs that are considered to be public aid are offered by the York County Human Service Department, community action agencies, and other partner agencies. Staff from the county will coordinate the various resources that address the needs of low income families in the community.
Examples of the programs administered are food assistance, meaning SNAP food stamps, Women Infant and Children (WIC), and even such resources such as summer meals for students. The state of Pennsylvania and the federal government created these programs in an effort to help ensure no one goes hungry.
Housing and rental vouchers are available in York County. The main resources are the section 8 housing voucher program, which will often have a waiting list. Low income and public housing units also operate in the region.
Assistance with children and family generally falls under welfare, or TANF. This is in effect government cash assistance for paying for basic living needs, such as food, rent, medications, and other essentials. Staff from the Human Service Department can advise applicants of all the details on this program.
The county Homeless Assistance Program (HAP) is for families and individuals who are at risk of becoming homeless or facing eviction or foreclosure. Services are also offered for those York County residents who are already homeless and who need to be rehoused. Participants and applicants to HAP need to demonstrate that with adequate prevention and intervention services that they would be able to meet their basic housing needs in the immediate and near future. This is offered in partnership with the organizations below, and you can call one or more to apply and learn more.
- ACCESS-York - Provides housing services to victims of domestic violence, including children and women.
- Bell Socialization Services - Provides clients with emergency shelter and bridge or short term transitional housing. Call (717) 848-5767
- Community Progress Council (phone (717) 846-4600) administers case management services, emergency rental assistance and can facilitate individual shelter night services.
Another common offering is the Emergency Food Assistance Program. This was created by the federal government as a tool to distribute surplus government commodities that may be in government storage sites. This public program is offered all across Pennsylvania and the nation for that matter. Families may be provided cheese, butter, rice and corn meal, canned fruits, juices, instant milk, beef and pork, dry pasta and even baking mix. The United States Department of Agriculture provides the state and York County the food. The county will then distribute the goods based on poverty, income levels and unemployment rates in the region.
Some examples of other public aid programs include Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP), Family Group Decision Making (FGDM), and a more unique service known as Evacuating County Residents In Need (ECRIN). These are generally offered directly by the county.
A few of the programs referenced above (and others that were not mentioned) are run through Human Services in the county. Others may be available at the federal government level or may be offered in partnership with non-profits in the region. The county may contract with these non-profit community agencies to process applications and to also provide those direct services to residents. Usually the programs that are contracted out include food, transportation, rent, and housing assistance programs such as section 8 or HAP. You can learn more by calling the county or a community action agency.
Applying for public assistance from York County Human Services
This is just a sampling of the resources available in York County Pennsylvania. The Human Services Department may offer others or can refer qualified residents to other public assistance programs. When you call to schedule an appointment or more information be sure to explore all available solutions. Call (717) 771-9347.
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