NJ Helps

​For Help with Food Stamps/SNAP, Welfare, Medicaid, NJ FamilyCare, Child Care, Kinship Care, Housing, and More, Check Out the NJHelps website.

What is NJHelps?

NJHelps is a website that has information about many services and programs for low-income people and families.

How do I find out about all the services and programs that I may be eligible to receive?

If you have access to the Internet (most public libraries have computers you can use), you can get information on the services listed below and many more. The NJHelps website can guide you through the process of getting help with just about everything.

What information does NJHelps have?

The following list gives some examples of the information available on the NJHelps website.

• Toll-free numbers for help with everything from Addictions to Teen Pregnancy to Natural Disasters.
• Screening tools that you can complete to see whether you are eligible for services such as:
• Food Stamps/SNAP;
• General Assistance (GA)/ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF);
• NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid;
• Childcare assistance;
• Kinship care; and
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP).
• On-line applications for NJ FamilyCare and Food Stamps/SNAP in English and Spanish that you can either fill out and submit online or download and mail or fax to the appropriate office. Once received, you will be contacted to set up an appointment if you are applying for Food Stamps/SNAP.
• Useful information, such as where the nearest welfare office is, what documents you need to apply for certain services, eligibility requirements for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, and how to get services for special needs children.
• Links to listings of affordable housing, summer camps, and day programs for elderly people and people with disabilities.

Is there is a phone number I can call to get information?

The 211 Helpline is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week helpline for people to get non-emergency help. It is sometimes called the number to call to find out “where to go and how to apply.” Operators are available around the clock to provide free and confidential referrals in English, Spanish, and TTY/TTD to the following resources:

• Food and clothing banks;
• Shelters;
• Rental and utility assistance resources;
• Physical and mental health resources
• Medicaid/Medicare/NJ FamilyCare;
• Maternal & children’s health insurance;
• Crisis intervention;
• County drug and alcohol programs and support groups;
• Employment supports, such as job training, transportation assistance, educational programs, and financial assistance;
• Support for older people and people with disabilities, such as adult day care, group meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, home health care, transportation, and homemaker services; and
• Support for children, such as childcare, after-school programs, family resource centers, summer camps, recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring, and protective services.

Visit the 211 website.

NJHelps has all of the same information that the 211 operators can give you. If your need is not immediate, you do not need the help of a 211 operator. If you want to search the information yourself to see what services are out there, you can get all the same information by searching the NJHelps website.

If you need help, NJHelps is a great place to start to look for help in your community. Try to make time to stop by your library and check it out as soon as possible.

NJ Helps/211 is a joint project of the United Way of New Jersey and the New Jersey Association of Information and Referral Services, with funding from the United Way, local counties, and the New Jersey Department of Human Services. ​​​

This information last reviewed: Aug 24, 2016