211 Georgia (United Way)
Free, confidential 24/7 helpline and online database that connects callers to local programs for food, housing, utilities, healthcare, employment, and disaster relief. This is the single best starting point for almost anything on this list.
None to call — open to anyone seeking help finding a program.
Dial 2-1-1 from any phone, or use the regional United Way 211 online databases (e.g. 211online.unitedwayatlanta.org for metro Atlanta, 211csra.org for the Augusta/CSRA region). Text, chat, and email options are also offered by several regional United Ways.
Georgia Community Action Association — Find Your Local Agency
Directory of Georgia's 20 Community Action Agencies and 4 CSBG county offices, the local nonprofits that actually administer LIHEAP, weatherization, HEAT, and other federal poverty programs county by county.
None to use the directory itself; eligibility varies by the specific program you're routed to.
Use the "Find Your Local Community Action Agency" tool on their site to identify which agency covers your county, then contact that agency directly.
Feeding Georgia
Statewide association of Georgia's regional Feeding America food banks; site links out to each region's food bank and pantry finder.
None to use the directory; individual pantries set their own light eligibility/documentation requirements.
Use the site to identify and contact the regional food bank covering your county (see individual entries below for the major regional banks).
Georgia Power Community Assistance Resources Locator (C.A.R.L.)
Georgia Power's own zip-code search tool for third-party organizations offering utility, food, shelter, rent, and other assistance — useful even if you're not a Georgia Power customer.
None to use the tool.
Search by zip code on the Georgia Power residential assistance page.
LIHEAP — Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (Georgia)
Federally funded, state-administered program providing energy bill payment assistance, crisis assistance for heating/cooling emergencies, and weatherization, delivered through local Community Action Agencies.
Gross household income at or below 60% of Georgia's State Median Income (FY2026: roughly $34,549/year for a 1-person household, $66,441 for a 4-person household); must be responsible for paying the home's primary heating source; households with $1,000+ in existing energy bill credit are ineligible.
Apply through the local Community Action Agency serving your county (find yours via georgiacaa.org). Heating program opens the first workday of December for seniors 65+/medically homebound, January for everyone else; cooling program opens first workday of April for seniors/medically homebound, May for everyone else.
Weatherization Assistance Program (Georgia)
Federally funded program (paired administratively with LIHEAP) that provides free home weatherization — insulation, air sealing, furnace/AC repair — to reduce long-term energy costs for low-income households.
Similar income guidelines to LIHEAP (around 60% of state median income); priority often given to elderly, disabled, and households with children.
Apply through your local Community Action Agency, the same intake point used for LIHEAP.
H.E.A.T. — Heating Energy Assistance Team
Energy assistance specifically for households with a gas/energy disconnection notice or needing service restoration, administered through Community Action Agencies for the Georgia Department of Human Services.
Gross household income at or below 60% of Georgia's median income; must have a disconnection notice or need restoration; U.S. citizen, qualified alien, or permanent resident.
Identify your county's Community Action Agency via heatga.org, then contact that agency. Standard processing is within 48 hours of an eligible application; life-threatening situations with medical verification can be processed within 18 hours.
Georgia Power — Income-Qualified Discount
Ongoing monthly bill discount (not a one-time grant) for qualifying Georgia Power residential customers.
Receiving SSI or SSDI, or participating in the Federal Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program, or age 65+ with income at or below 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Apply via the Income-Qualified Discount page on georgiapower.com.
Georgia Power — EASE (Energy Assistance for Savings & Efficiency)
Free energy-saving home improvements (attic insulation, smart thermostats) for Georgia Power customers to reduce ongoing bills.
Georgia Power customer; household income at or below 300% of Federal Poverty Guidelines (roughly $47,880/year for 1 person up to $133,080 for a 6-person household).
Apply via the EASE page on georgiapower.com.
Georgia Power — EASE for Seniors
Free weatherization and insulation upgrades specifically for senior homeowners who are Georgia Power customers.
Age 60+; own and live in the home; income at or below 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines (roughly $31,920+/year for 1 person).
Apply via the EASE for Seniors page on georgiapower.com.
Project SHARE (Georgia Power / Salvation Army)
Statewide emergency utility-bill assistance funded by Georgia Power customer donations and administered by The Salvation Army for households in temporary financial crisis.
Determined case-by-case by The Salvation Army during the application process; targeted at households facing a temporary crisis rather than chronic hardship.
Apply at your local Salvation Army office or an approved partner social service agency.
Atlanta Gas Light — Bill Payment Assistance
Atlanta Gas Light's page consolidating the energy-assistance options available to its customers — LIHEAP, Project SHARE, HEAT, and a weatherization/equipment-repair partnership with the Georgia Public Service Commission for qualifying senior/low-income households.
Varies by underlying program (LIHEAP/HEAT/Project SHARE eligibility rules apply).
Call Atlanta Gas Light directly for bill-specific help, or dial 211 for referral to the underlying assistance programs.
Operation Round Up (Georgia EMC cooperatives)
Members' electric bills are voluntarily rounded up to the nearest dollar each month; the pooled spare change funds grants to local nonprofits, schools, and individual households in need (including bill-assistance-style grants), administered by each EMC's own foundation.
Varies by local EMC foundation; individual grants are commonly capped around $5,000 and are one-time.
Contact your specific electric membership cooperative directly (Central Georgia EMC, Jackson EMC, North Georgia EMC, Snapping Shoals EMC, etc.) — there is no single statewide application.
Georgia Rental Assistance
State-run program (Georgia Dept. of Community Affairs) paying rent, utility bills, and other housing-related costs (application fees, deposits, storage fees) directly to landlords/providers on behalf of eligible tenants, including those with a prior eviction.
Household income below 80% of area median income; demonstrated financial hardship occurring since March 13, 2020 (does not need to be COVID-specific).
Apply online at paymyrent.ga.gov. Support available in Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Georgia Rental Assistance Eviction Prevention Initiative
A $55 million DCA initiative combining rental assistance, free legal representation, and supportive services, delivered in partnership with Georgia Legal Services Program and Atlanta Legal Aid Society specifically to prevent evictions.
Similar income/hardship criteria to the main Georgia Rental Assistance program; legal assistance is generally available to tenants facing active eviction cases.
Contact Atlanta Legal Aid Society or Georgia Legal Services Program, or apply for rental assistance directly at paymyrent.ga.gov.
Georgia DCA Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
HUD-funded rental voucher program that subsidizes rent for low-income households in private housing, administered statewide by Georgia DCA (separate from individual city/county Public Housing Authorities, which run their own local waitlists).
Household income generally below 50% of area median income; U.S. citizen or eligible immigrant; age 18+; meets HUD's definition of a family.
The statewide DCA waitlist is CLOSED with no announced plan to reopen (last opened briefly Oct 17-20, 2023, via lottery). DCA is currently only serving families already selected from that 2023 lottery. Check local city/county Public Housing Authorities separately — some maintain independent waitlists that may be open even when the state list is closed.
Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Free legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction or other landlord/tenant disputes in metro Atlanta, including subsidized and private housing.
Income-qualified (standard legal aid income guidelines); metro Atlanta residency.
Call or apply online.
Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP)
Free civil legal aid — including eviction defense and housing issues — for low-income Georgians outside metro Atlanta.
Income-qualified (standard legal aid income guidelines).
Call or apply online.
Habitat for Humanity — Georgia affiliate home repair programs
Critical home repair, weatherization, and accessibility modification programs for existing low-income homeowners (distinct from Habitat's better-known new-home-building program); typically targeted at seniors, veterans, and disabled homeowners.
Varies by local affiliate; generally low-income homeowners, often with priority for seniors/veterans/disabled residents. Some programs use affordable repayment loans rather than pure grants.
Contact the Habitat for Humanity affiliate serving your specific county directly — there is no single statewide application.
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) — Georgia
Federal food-purchasing benefit loaded monthly onto an EBT card, administered in Georgia by DFCS.
Gross household income generally up to 130% of the federal poverty level (roughly $2,887/month for a family of three in the guideline cited).
Apply online via Georgia Gateway (gateway.ga.gov), or in person at your local DFCS office. Decisions are made within 30 days of application.
WIC (Women, Infants & Children) — Georgia
Nutrition assistance, healthy food benefits, and health screening for pregnant/postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5, administered by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level, OR automatic eligibility if already receiving Medicaid, TANF, or SNAP; plus a nutritional-risk screening at the WIC appointment.
Apply via Georgia Gateway, or contact your local WIC clinic directly to schedule an appointment.
Atlanta Community Food Bank
Large regional food bank operating direct-service Community Food Centers plus a network of partner food pantries; also helps people apply for SNAP and Medicaid.
Generally none required to receive emergency food at Community Food Centers; appointment required.
Text FOOD to 404-474-0578 or call 478-394-4547 to make a Community Food Center appointment; text FINDFOOD (or COMIDA in Spanish) to 888-976-2232 to locate the nearest partner pantry.
Golden Harvest Food Bank
Regional food bank serving the Augusta/Central Savannah River Area through a network of over 325 partner hunger-relief agencies.
Varies by partner pantry; generally low barrier for emergency food.
Call the front office or use the online food pantry finder to locate the nearest partner agency.
Feeding the Valley Food Bank
Regional Feeding America food bank serving the Columbus/Albany area of west-central and southwest Georgia.
Varies by partner pantry; generally low barrier for emergency food.
Use the pantry finder on feedingthevalley.org or call directly.
Middle Georgia Community Food Bank
Regional food bank serving Middle Georgia around Macon through over 200 partner agencies, emergency pantries, and mobile food distributions; also helps with SNAP enrollment.
Varies by partner pantry; generally low barrier for emergency food.
Use the pantry finder on the food bank's website or call directly.
Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia
Regional food bank serving 21 counties in the Savannah/Brunswick coastal Georgia area through 245+ partner agencies, with warehouses in Savannah and Brunswick.
Varies by partner pantry; generally low barrier for emergency food.
Use the pantry finder on the food bank's website or call directly.
PeachCare for Kids (Georgia CHIP)
Low/no-cost comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision) for children under 19 who don't qualify for Medicaid and lack other coverage.
Household income up to 247% of the Federal Poverty Level; child under 19; U.S. citizen or legally residing non-citizen; not otherwise covered.
Apply via Georgia Gateway, or call DFCS.
Georgia Access (state health insurance marketplace)
Georgia's state-based ACA marketplace for finding and enrolling in subsidized health coverage, and a source of general information on Medicaid/PeachCare eligibility.
Varies by plan; income-based subsidies available for many households.
Enroll and compare plans at georgiaaccess.gov.
NeedyMeds
Free, anonymous database matching people to prescription drug assistance programs — manufacturer patient assistance programs, discount cards, state and nonprofit programs — searchable by drug or diagnosis.
None to use the database; individual programs it lists set their own eligibility.
Search by drug name or condition at needymeds.org, or call their helpline.
Georgia Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT)
Free rides to Medicaid-covered medical appointments for enrolled Medicaid members who have no other transportation option, via a state-contracted broker.
Currently enrolled in a Georgia Medicaid program (ABD, PeachCare for Kids, TANF Medicaid, or SSI-related Medicaid); no other means of transportation to the covered appointment.
Already-enrolled Medicaid members contact the regional transportation broker at least 3 workdays before a scheduled, non-urgent appointment. Confirm the current broker and phone number on the medicaid.georgia.gov program page, as this has changed in the past.
Lifeline (federal phone/internet discount)
FCC program providing a monthly discount (up to $9.25/month, $34.25 on Tribal lands) on phone or internet service for qualifying low-income households. Note: this is a smaller, older benefit — it is not a replacement for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which offered up to ~$30/month and ended in June 2024 with no federal or Georgia state replacement since.
Household income at or below 135% of the federal poverty level, or participation in a qualifying federal assistance program (SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, etc.).
Apply through the National Verification System at LifelineSupport.org, or directly through a participating phone/internet provider.
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) — Georgia
Monthly cash assistance for very-low-income families with children, plus required work/training participation, administered by DFCS.
U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident; Georgia resident; pregnant or has a child under 19; very low income (e.g., an assistance unit of 3 must have gross income below roughly $784/month) and countable assets under $1,000; 48-month lifetime limit (extendable for documented hardship, including domestic violence).
Apply via a paper application mailed to your local DFCS office, or through Georgia Gateway. Decisions typically take about 30 days.
The Salvation Army — Georgia Division / Metro Atlanta Area Command
Multi-service safety-net organization covering food pantries/soup kitchens, emergency financial assistance (rent, utilities, food, clothing, school supplies, furniture), homelessness prevention and transitional housing, and youth programs.
Case-by-case assessment at a Financial Emergency Services Center appointment.
Call to schedule an appointment at your nearest Salvation Army Financial Emergency Services Center. Phone listed here is for the Metro Atlanta Area Command; other regions of Georgia have separate local commands with their own phone numbers.
Catholic Charities Atlanta
Assessment-based assistance and referrals covering rent/mortgage, utilities, food pantry, furniture bank, immigration services, and mental health counseling for Fulton and DeKalb county residents.
Assessed individually; income-based.
Call Information & Referral, or apply via ARCHI's shared universal application used by partner organizations for rental/mortgage/utility assistance.