Best bet
Income and benefits, Mass. Legal Help, April 2023.
Information "about benefits that people can get from the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). Learn about: Welfare, SNAP/Food Stamps, state disability benefits, and emergency shelter; how these programs work; program rules; how to apply for these benefits; and special rules for seniors, teens, people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, and others."
Recent updates
Emergency Assistance director provides update as state’s shelter system approaches capacity limit, October 2023.
Explains the process when the state’s shelters reach their capacity limit.
Massachusetts laws
MGL c.18 Department of Transitional Assistance
Massachusetts regulations
106 CMR Department of Transitional Assistance
760 CMR 67.06 Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Eligibility for emergency assistance
Selected cases
Garcia v. Dept. of Housing and Community Development, 480 Mass. 736 (2018)
Vacates a preliminary injunction that had directed the DHCD to use motels as emergency shelter for people with approved ADA accommodation requests whose request could be satisfied by a motel placement.
Agency
Department of Transitional Assistance
DTA serves residents with direct economic assistance (cash benefits) and food assistance (SNAP benefits), as well as workforce training opportunities.
Web sources
Affordable Connectivity Program
This program will provide a discount of up to $30 per month towards high speed internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.
Applying for emergency assistance shelter: A guide for families, Mass. Law Reform Institute and Rosie's Place, October 2015. Also available in Spanish.
"Emergency Assistance is the shelter system for families in Massachusetts..." Pregnant women and families with children are eligible." There are several more requirements to be eligible. The guide explains these requirements and how to apply for shelter. For more detailed information, see Emergency Assistance Advocacy Guide, below.
Benefits checkup, National Council on Aging.
BenefitsCheckUp® connects millions of older adults and people with disabilities with benefits programs that can help pay for health care, medicine, food, utilities, and more.
Beyond financial aid: A guide to extra help for low-income adult students, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and Crittenton Women’s Union, 2010.
Public programs can offer support, but sometimes the rules about who is eligible for public benefits, such as housing assistance, food stamps, or unemployment insurance, are different for students. This booklet will help you determine which public benefits may be available to you and your family while you go to school.
Check EAEDC eligibility and how to apply, Mass. Dept. of Transitional Assistance.
Emergency Aid to the Elderly Disabled, and Children (EAEDC) is a cash benefit for disabled adults, caretakers, and some children who are not able to get TAFDC. You cannot receive SSI and EAEDC at the same time.
Emergency assistance advocacy guide, Mass. Law Reform, 2022.
Using a simple question-and-answer format, this Guide leads advocates and homeless families through the rules governing eligibility for Emergency Assistance--the program that provides emergency shelter and rehousing services to homeless families with children in Massachusetts.
Food stamps/SNAP advocacy guide, Mass. Law Reform, 2023.
Online version of the print title. Covers eligibility, benefits, applications and more.
HelpSteps.com, Mass. 2-1-1 service.
"HelpSteps connects individuals to local health and human resources... The assessment and referral tools are available at no cost to anyone with access to the internet or a smart phone."
HomeBASE
A flexible financial household assistance resource that is available to families who are eligible for the state’s Emergency Assistance (EA) Program. Household Assistance can be used to help you and your family find your own apartment, co-house by living with someone else and sharing household costs, pay for moving expenses to another state or location in-state and for other costs, such as child care to help with securing or maintaining employment or job training. (Note: This is not related to the HomeBase.org program for veterans.)
Program Operations Manual System (POMS), Social Security Administration.
The primary source of information used by the Social Security Administration to process claims for Social Security benefits
Programs that help with money, Mass. Legal Help, 2019.
Written for domestic violence survivors, this is a helpful guide to programs that provide financial assistance, with forms and explanations of the application process.
Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program.
The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. RAFT can provide up to $7,000 per household within a 12-month period to help preserve current housing or move to new housing.
SNAP for college students, USDA Food and Nutrition Service.
Includes information on eligibility requirements and benefits available.
TAFDC advocacy guide, Mass. Law Reform, March 2022.
Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Online version of the print title. Covers eligibility, benefits, applications and more
Print sources
Nolo's guide to social security disability : getting & keeping your benefits by David A. Morton III, Nolo, 2022. (eBook available here with library card).
Contact for Massachusetts law about public benefits
Online
| Last updated: | November 7, 2023 |
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