Senior benefits in Martin County, Florida

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps income-eligible Martin County households pay home heating and cooling bills, with crisis help when a shutoff is imminent or service is already off. In Martin County it is delivered by The Agricultural and Labor Program, Inc. (ALPI). Households qualify with income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines (or 60% of the state median income); priority goes to households with a member 60 or older, a person with a disability, or a young child. Payments usually go straight to the utility company.

$350–$1,000/yr

Martin County's Emergency Financial Assistance Program helps low-income residents with delinquent bills for electricity, water, and rent. Eligibility requires household income at or below federal poverty level guidelines and documentation of a financial hardship. Martin County Human Services also coordinates affordable housing assistance and homeless prevention referrals from its offices at 435 SE Flagler Avenue, Stuart, FL 34994 (open Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). For emergency financial assistance specifically, email financialassist@martin.fl.us or call (772) 288-5785. For housing assistance and pre-screening with a Human Services staff member, call (772) 288-5456 or visit the Flagler Avenue office in person. The Council on Aging of Martin County is the senior-specific entry point for emergency aid screening — for Martin seniors, calling COAMC at 772-223-7800 first can route them efficiently to the right intake.

$300–$2,500/yr

In this county: Martin's Emergency Financial Assistance is crisis-triggered — you must have a delinquent bill (electric, water) or imminent rent crisis in hand to apply. The income gate modeled here is approximately the federal poverty level (~$15,000-$47,880 for a 1-2 person household 2026); specific eligibility may use stricter thresholds. Email financialassist@martin.fl.us or call (772) 288-5785 for the most current intake status. For housing assistance specifically (beyond utility/rent emergency), Martin County Human Services pre-screens at (772) 288-5456. For senior-specific routing, Council on Aging of Martin County (772-223-7800) can connect Martin seniors to the right intake based on their specific situation.

Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital and Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital (both in Stuart) are the dominant hospitals serving Martin County, both operating under Cleveland Clinic Florida. Cleveland Clinic Florida's Financial Assistance Policy explicitly covers patients residing in Broward, Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties — providing financial assistance for emergency and other medically necessary care to uninsured patients. Eligibility is generous: principal beneficiaries are uninsured patients whose annual family income does not exceed 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines (full charity), with sliding-scale assistance available up to 400 percent of FPG depending on the specific eligibility category. The Cleveland Clinic Florida policy provides emergency care and medically necessary care on a non-profit basis 'without regard to race, creed, or ability to pay.' Martin County's senior demographics (~30% age 65+) and proximity to the Indian River and Saint Lucie corridors make Cleveland Clinic Florida's coordinated four-county service area particularly valuable — Martin residents can access Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital (Port St. Lucie) and Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital (Vero Beach) for specialty/tertiary care under the same financial assistance policy. Apply at any point by calling Customer Service at 866-621-6385 or speaking with a Patient Financial Advocate.

$500–$40,000/yr

In this county: Cleveland Clinic Florida's Financial Assistance Policy is one of the most generous in the catalog: full charity for uninsured patients at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines with sliding-scale assistance up to 400% FPG. The modeled $62,400 figure is approximately 400% FPG for a single-person household 2026 — the OUTER bound; full charity threshold is much lower (~$15,650 single 2026 at 100% FPG). The policy applies for both emergency and medically necessary care; you can apply at any point in the scheduling or billing process. Cleveland Clinic Florida's geographic service area is Broward, Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties only — residents of other counties don't qualify for non-emergency assistance. For Martin residents specifically, Cleveland Clinic Martin North (Stuart, west of US-1) and Martin South (Stuart, east of US-1) provide local access plus regional referral to Cleveland Clinic Tradition (Port St. Lucie) and Cleveland Clinic Indian River for specialty needs.

The Council on Aging of Martin County (COAMC) is the Martin County Lead Agency for senior services, designated by the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast (PSA 9 AAA / Your Aging Resource Center). COAMC operates The Kane Center as its main hub for senior services and delivers a substantial volume of senior meals: 250+ home-delivered meals each weekday across Martin County, plus Senior Dining Centers in Jensen Beach, Indiantown, Stuart, and Hobe Sound. The home-delivered Meals on Wheels program serves more than 500 vulnerable homebound seniors throughout Martin County. Three meal pathways are available: Meals on Wheels (home-delivered for homebound seniors at no or low cost via OAA Title III funding); Senior Dining Centers (free or low-cost weekday meals at congregate sites); and Kane Cuisine (paid hot-meal delivery for seniors who can pay but want the convenience of home delivery). There is a modest fee for OAA meals, but community donations underwrite the cost for seniors unable to pay. COAMC also provides care management, caregiver support, and the dementia caregiver program. Apply by calling COAMC at 772-223-7800 or visiting The Kane Center or any Senior Dining Center in person.

$1,800–$12,000/yr

In this county: Three meal pathways at COAMC: (1) Senior Dining Centers — age 60+ and Martin residency, free or low-cost weekday meals at sites in Jensen Beach, Indiantown, Stuart, and Hobe Sound. (2) Meals on Wheels — for homebound seniors with documented homebound status; modest fee with community donations underwriting costs for those unable to pay; serving 500+ seniors weekly. (3) Kane Cuisine — paid hot-meal home delivery for seniors who can pay but appreciate the convenience. Call 772-223-7800 to determine the right pathway and start enrollment. COAMC also coordinates care management, dementia caregiver support, and other senior services from The Kane Center hub — calling 772-223-7800 also screens for these.

MARTY is Martin County's free public transit system, branded as Martin Area Regional Transit. As of recent service updates, MARTY operates as a zero-fare system on all fixed routes and the Commuter Express route — every rider boards free regardless of age, income, or disability. Martin joins Charlotte, Saint Lucie, and Indian River as the FOURTH county in the modeled FL cluster with universal free transit, forming a clearly established free-transit corridor along Florida's Treasure Coast and SW coast. MARTY serves Stuart, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Indiantown, Palm City, and surrounding communities, connecting residents to medical centers, pharmacies, grocery stores, employment, and other essential destinations. Customer service is available at 772-288-5400; trip planning and real-time bus arrivals are available at myride.martin.fl.us. The Senior Resource Association (SRA) is designated by the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged as the Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) for Martin County, coordinating Florida TD trips that complement MARTY.

$200–$1,500/yr

Martin County offers door-to-door paratransit through two paired pathways. MARTY ADA Paratransit is the ADA-mandated complementary service to the free MARTY fixed-route system, providing door-to-door rides for riders whose disability prevents independent use of fixed-route buses within 3/4 mile of MARTY corridors. Senior Resource Association (SRA) Community Coach extends door-to-door service through the Florida Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) program for low-income riders without ADA-qualifying disabilities — SRA is designated by the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged as the CTC for Martin County (and also Indian River County, where SRA also operates GoLine). Both pathways share a single intake through SRA in the Indian River / Martin coordinated system at 772-569-0760. MARTY paratransit fares are nominal (or fare-free in some funding categories). Apply by calling SRA at 772-569-0760 or contacting MARTY customer service at (772) 463-2860.

$1,500–$7,000/yr

In this county: Martin paratransit eligibility has two paired pathways: MARTY ADA paratransit (disability-based, requires medical verification) and SRA Community Coach (Florida TD, income-based). The same SRA intake (772-569-0760) handles both — SRA is the CTC for Martin AND Indian River, providing integrated trip coordination across the two-county region. For riders who CAN use fixed-route, MARTY is universally FREE — paratransit should be reserved for those who genuinely need door-to-door service. Martin's structural advantage over peer counties: combining FREE fixed-route + door-to-door paratransit through SRA's regional coordination means effectively zero out-of-pocket transit costs for qualifying seniors.