Ohio public assistance programs

Medicaid Healthcare for low-income residents. Special Needs Assistance How to save more without losing healthcare or other benefits. Food and Cash Assistance Food and cash aid for low-income residents. Child Care Helping families find child care options. State Hearings Request a hearing if you disagree with a decision made about your public benefits. Unemployment Insurance Lost your job?

Apply for unemployment. Women, Infants and Children Food Assistance Food aid for pregnant women and their children through age five. Long-Term Services and Supports Identify your long-term services and supports options. Housing and Utilities Ohio Housing Finance Agency Assistance with housing. Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Help paying your telephone bill. Energy Assistance Programs to help low-income residents with energy needs.

Mental Health and Addiction Services Find Addiction Services Providers A list of addiction treatment providers in your area. How do I apply? Expand All Sections. Complementary Content. Household size. Poverty guideline. Mobile Voice Mini mum. Mobile Broadband Minimum. Speed: 3G or better; Usage Allowance: 4. Provider Name. If you have specific questions about any of the assistance programs, please contact your utility company or call the PUCO Call Center at You can also submit your questions online here.

Residential customers of PUCO-regulated electric, natural gas, and water utilities who are facing a disconnection for nonpayment may use this form to avoid a utility disconnect for up to 30 days. The form must be completed by a licensed physician, physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or local board of health physician and sent to your utility company.

The Electric Partnership Program EPP is a home weatherization plan for customer who are at or below the percent of the federal poverty levels. To be eligible for the program, Ohioans must also have 12 months of electric usage at their current address, have an annual electric baseload usage of at least 5, kWh, and live in the service territory of American Electric Power, Duke Energy, Dayton Power and Light, or FirstEnergy.

PUCO-regulated natural gas and electric companies have the following extended payment plans available to help you to make affordable payments and maintain service:. A guarantor is a person who has established utility service that guarantees payments from a customer that needs to establish credit with a utility company for either new service or to reestablish service.

According to the Ohio Revised Code , the following criteria must be met in order to be a guarantor:. Upon default by a customer who has furnished a guarantor, the utility company may pursue collection actions against the defaulting customer and the guarantor in the appropriate court, or the utility company may transfer the defaulting customer's bill to the guarantor's account.

The defaulted amount transferred to the guarantor's account shall not be greater than the amount billed to the defaulting customer for 60 days of service or two monthly bills.

After 30 days from the transfer, the utility company may make the guarantor subject to disconnection procedures, if the amount transferred still remains unpaid. The HeatShare programs are administered by the Salvation Army to help qualifying households pay for natural gas bills. These programs typically run from January until May, or until funds are depleted.

These programs are different depending on the utility company and are only offered for electric and natural gas utilities. Names of the Heatshare programs are:. It is designed to help eligible, low-income Ohioans meet the high costs of home heating. The program reduces low-income households' energy use, thus creating more affordable housing for those in most need.