Commodity Supplemental Food Program
Program Description
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) works to improve the health of low-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, other new mothers up to one year postpartum, infants, children under six years of age, and elderly people at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious United States Department of Agriculture commodity foods and providing basic nutrition education. The CSFP provides food and administrative funds to states to supplement the diets of these groups.General Program Requirements
In order to qualify for this benefit program, applicants must be of low-income and one of the following: an infant under one year of age, a child under six years of age, a pregnant woman, a breastfeeding woman up to one year after giving birth, a new mother up to one year postpartum, or an elderly person 60 years of age or older. Individual states may also require applicants to meet certain nutritional risk eligibility criteria.Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.Community Food and Nutrition Program
Program Description
The goals of the Community Food and Nutrition Program are:1) To coordinate private and public food assistance resources to better serve the food and nutrition needs of low-income populations
2) To assist low-income communities to identify potential sponsors of child nutrition programs in under-served or unserved areas
3) To develop innovative approaches at the State and Local level to meet the nutrition needs of low-income individuals, including displaced workers, elderly people, children, and the working poor and other low-income individuals
General Program Requirements
In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must characterize your financial situation as low income or very low income .Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.Consolidated Health Centers
Program Description
Health Centers offer access to comprehensive primary and preventive health care and social services to medically unserved and underserved populations. Federally funded health centers offer services to the general community, as well as specific special populations including: migrant and seasonal farmworkers, homeless, public housing residents, and school aged children. Services are provided to all residents of the service area without regard to an individual's ability to pay.General Program Requirements
All people are eligible to receive health care services at a federally funding health center. Health centers funded through the Consolidated Health Centers Program are required to provide services to all individuals regardless of ability to pay. Federally funded health centers also must provide a schedule of discounts corresponding to established charges for individuals with incomes at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.Florida Food Assistance Program (formally known as Florida Food Stamp Program)
Program Description
The Food Assistance Program helps ensure that eligible low-income families and individuals are able to obtain a nutritious diet. Food Assistance benefits are intended to supplement other household income and may only be used to purchase food. Other household items such as cleaning supplies, paper goods, clothes, alcohol or tobacco products may not be purchased with Food Assistance.Food Assistance recipients are able to purchase their food by using an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. This card may be used at any retail store authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The amount of benefits received is based on the household size and financial circumstances.
All individuals who purchase and prepare food together are considered a family group for Food Assistance purposes and must have their eligibility determined together.
To be eligible for Food Assistance family groups must have income and assets below the program standards. After adding all the family groups gross income, the case manager will make deductions to the family groups income. These deductions may include, but are not limited to, shelter (rent, mortgage or utilities), childcare or medical expenses.
Other technical factors must be met for a family to be eligible for Food Assistance. These technical factors may include:
- Work registration, having a job or looking for work
- Cooperation with Child Support Enforcement
- Citizenship or an eligible non-citizen status with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and
- Florida residency
General Program Requirements
Most households must pass a gross income limit at 200 percent of the Federal Income Poverty Guidelines (FIPG). Households with a member disqualified for breaking Food Assistance Program rules, felony drug trafficking, running away from a felony warrant, or not participating in a work program must meet a gross income test at 130 percent of the FIPG. Households with or without a disqualified member must have net income less than 100 percent of the FIPG. Households with people who are, age 60 or older or disabled must only meet the net monthly income limit. Some household expenses may be subtracted from the total monthly income in the food assistance budget. The budget may subtract for shelter expenses, dependent care, medical, child support paid, standard deductions, and earnings. Most food assistance households may have assets such as vehicles, bank accounts, or property and still get help. Households with a disqualified member must meet an asset limit of $2,000 or $3,250 effective October 1, 2011, (if the household contains an elderly or disabled member.)Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.Florida Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Program Description
Florida's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides grants to local governments and non-profit agencies to assist eligible low-income Florida households in meeting the costs of home heating and cooling. The majority of the funds are used for utility payment assistance.The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program can assist customers pay their home energy expenses. The program has three categories of assistance: home energy assistance, crisis assistance, and weather related or supply shortage energy crisis assistance. Each category has unique requirements.
General Program Requirements
In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must be a resident of the state of Florida and you must need financial assistance for home energy costs.A person who participates or has family members who participate in certain other benefit programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or certain needs-tested Veterans benefits may be automatically eligible.
Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Program Description
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) assists eligible low-income households with their heating and cooling energy costs, and, if the state chooses, to weatherize homes.General Program Requirements
In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must need financial assistance for home energy costs.A person who participates or has family members who participate in certain other benefit programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or certain needs-tested Veterans benefits may be automatically eligible.
Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Program Description
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program provides supplemental foods, healthcare referrals, nutrition education, and breastfeeding promotion and support at no cost to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk.Additionally, 46 state agencies operate the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), which provides fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to WIC participants, and expands the awareness and use of farmers' markets.
General Program Requirements
Pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, as well as infants, and children up to 5 years of age are eligible if they are individually determined by a health professional to be at nutritional risk and meet a state residency requirement.A person who participates or has family members who participate in certain other benefit programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), automatically meets the income eligibility requirement.
Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Program Description
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides benefits to low-income people that they can use to buy food to improve their diets. SNAP recipients spend their benefits (provided on an electronic card that is used like an ATM card) to buy eligible food in authorized retail food stores. Through nutrition education partners, SNAP helps clients learn to make healthy eating and active lifestyle choices.General Program Requirements
Anyone who meets the program eligibility requirements can get SNAP benefits. To be eligible for SNAP most households must meet certain resource and income limits. A household with an elderly or disabled household member need only meet the net income limit.A household's benefit amount is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Thrifty Food Plan, which is an estimate of how much it costs to buy food to prepare nutritious, low-cost meals for a household. A household's net monthly income is multiplied by .3, and the result is subtracted from the maximum allotment for the household size to determine the household's allotment. This is because SNAP households are expected to spend 30 percent of their own income on food, so the amount of benefits received help to supplement the household's food budget. For example, if a one-person household has a net income of $500, this amount is multiplied by .3 to get $150. The $150 is then subtracted from the maximum allotment of $200 for a household size of one (based on zero income) to get a SNAP benefit amount of $50.
You can get information about SNAP eligibility requirements and how benefits are computed at:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/applicant_recipients/eligibility.htm
Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
Program Description
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost. Foods are provided for home consumption (e.g., a bag of groceries) or as a prepared meal (e.g, a soup kitchen).General Program Requirements
In order to qualify for foods for home consumption, you must be a resident of the state in which you apply and meet the income qualifications that are determined by the state. Some states accept participation in another program, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), for TEFAP income eligibility.Recipients of prepared meals are considered to be low-income and are not subject to a means test.
