When you work, you pay money to the government in the form of income taxes. You pay sales tax on almost everything you purchase, and you pay real estate taxes on your house. The government takes our tax money and splits it up as they see fit. Money goes to the schools, some goes to fix the roads and pay government employees like police and firemen, and some of the money goes to pay individuals in need of financial help. These programs are called government assistance programs. They are put in place to help individuals who have fallen on hard times and who are having trouble making affording the basic necessities.If you’re a single parent with more than a few mouths to feed, if you’re disabled or if you just lack transportation to get to and from a job adequately, you may qualify for one of these programs. If you’re in need, you’ll find that getting government assistance will improve your quality of life and you’ll be much happier leading a less stressful life.The ProgramsThe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)(previously known as Food Stamps) will help you buy food for your family. There is also a program referred to as Section 8 Housing that will help you pay for a place to live. Other programs like Medicaid will provide health care for your family, while other programs like Temporary Cash Assistance can get you cash to pay for other things that you need. You can also get help paying your power bill in some states as well as government assistance for your home phone service or, assistance to help pay for you to go back to school. No matter what type of hardship you’re facing, there are agencies available to offer you the government assisted programs that you may qualify for.To ApplyWhen you are ready to apply for a government assistance program, you will want to start doing your own research. Find out what kind of programs are available to you in your state. You can start by going to sites like benefits.gov USA.gov, and check your state’s DCF website. You’ll then want to find out what the qualifications are for the various programs. You will more than likely need to show proof of employment or the lack thereof, and proof of income, if any, for your household, in order to prove you are a low-income family. You will also need to show proof of any dependents who rely on you for care, such as young children, or elderly and disabled relatives. If you can prove these things, you should have no problem finding the assistance you need.Once you’re on some sort of government assistance, don’t forget to call your home phone company and get Lifeline service. If you’re on government assistance, you qualify and it can greatly reduce your monthly bill. If you prefer, you can use your Lifeline benefit to get a free “government” cell phone instead of a home phone.These programs offered by the government will allow you to raise your children in a more comfortable and safer household. You can improve your quality of life and you can provide a great atmosphere for your children to grow up in, and you can receive all that with government assistance.The first step is finding out which programs you may qualify for and the next step is to apply. With most agencies making it very easy to apply online, you should be able to receive government assisted help in a very short period of time. So what are you waiting for? It’s time for you to get the help that is available to you.