Kings County, New York vs Wake County, North Carolina

New York's Veterans Emergency Housing Assistance Fund pays up to $2,000 to a veteran facing an immediate housing hardship without the money to cover it. Covered needs include overdue rent, utilities, or property taxes; fire or natural-disaster damage; temporary shelter when housing is lost or uninhabitable; replacing or repairing an essential appliance like a furnace or water heater; and home changes needed for disability access. The veteran must live in New York State, have a discharge other than dishonorable, and have a net worth at or below the VA's limit for the non-service-connected pension. After the application is submitted, a Veterans Benefits Advisor calls to verify the emergency and the household's income, assets, and expenses — and checks for other benefits the household may qualify for.

Estimated bill savings: $500–$2,000 a year

Brooklyn (Kings County) emergency aid: (1) NYC HRA One-Shot Deal / Cash Assistance for utility shut-off, rent arrears, eviction prevention (212-331-3126); (2) NYC Aging Older Adult Centers for ongoing meals/social services (212-244-6469); (3) NYC H+H for healthcare (844-692-4692); (4) Catholic Charities of New York (212-371-1000, archdiocese-wide) and Catholic Charities Brooklyn-Queens (718-722-6000); (5) Met Council on Jewish Poverty; (6) Borough-specific food pantries via City Harvest. Dial 311 for general referrals or 211 for the United Way 2-1-1 line.

Estimated bill savings: $200–$3,000 a year

EPIC is a New York state program that helps more than 325,000 income-eligible seniors age 65+ supplement their out-of-pocket Medicare Part D drug costs. Two plans: (1) FEE PLAN for income up to $20,000 single / $26,000 married — modest annual fee, lowest copays; (2) DEDUCTIBLE PLAN for income $20,001-$75,000 single / $26,001-$100,000 married — meet annual deductible first. EPIC also helps pay Medicare Part D premiums for income up to $23,000 single / $29,000 married. Requires Medicare Part D enrollment (or eligibility). Cannot enroll in EPIC if on Medicaid. Apply at health.ny.gov/health_care/epic or by calling 800-332-3742.

Estimated bill savings: $200–$3,000 a year

EISEP pays for help at home for New Yorkers aged 60 and older who need a hand with everyday activities and want to stay in their own home. It covers personal care such as dressing and bathing, and household help such as shopping, cooking and light housekeeping. It is built for people who are NOT eligible for Medicaid, so it fills the gap for those whose income is too high for Medicaid but who still cannot manage alone or pay privately. You contribute toward the cost on a sliding scale set by your income and the cost of the services you use. Your county Office for the Aging runs the programme and arranges an assessment. Call your county office, or NY Connects on 1-800-342-9871.

Estimated service value: about $0 a year

New York pays a monthly annuity to legally blind wartime veterans — and to their unremarried surviving spouses — who live in New York State. The 2025 rate is $141.33 per month, about $1,696 per year. The blindness does not need to be connected to military service: legal blindness means 20/200 vision in the better eye with best correction, or a field of vision limited to 20 degrees. The veteran needs wartime service of at least 90 days on active duty (less if discharged early for a service-connected disability). Apply by mailing the Blind Annuity application and a Report of Legal Blindness form, with the discharge paperwork, to DVS — or call 1-888-838-7697 for help.

Estimated cash: $1,695–$1,696 a year

If you have New York Medicaid, a Social Care Network can connect you to free help with food, housing and transport. Every Medicaid member can be screened for these needs — the state intends for everyone to be screened once a year, or after a big change in your life — and anyone can be pointed to existing federal, state and local programmes. If you are in a Medicaid Managed Care plan and you qualify, you can also get Enhanced services paid for directly: nutrition help such as nutritional counselling, medically tailored meals, food prescriptions and groceries; housing support; transport; and social care management. Answer the screening questions at screening.shinny.org to get started. Nine regional networks cover the whole state.

The Crisis Intervention Program helps North Carolina households that are in a heating or cooling emergency — for example, a disconnect notice or no working heat or air conditioning. It pays toward the bill to keep service on. It is available year-round while funds last, for households with income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level who are facing a life-threatening or health-related energy crisis. Apply at your county DSS or ePASS.

Estimated bill savings: $0–$600 a year

Operation Fan Heat Relief gives free fans — and, for people with a qualifying medical condition, an air conditioner — to North Carolina residents age 60 and older and to adults with disabilities. Fans are handed out from May 1 through October 31 by the state's 16 regional area agencies on aging and a local service provider in each of the 100 counties. Applicants must live in a home where excessive heat is a threat to their health. Ask the provider listed for your county on the NCDHHS contact list, or call the Division of Aging at 919-855-3400.

The Targeting Program sets aside affordable apartments ("Targeted Units") in tax-credit housing across North Carolina for adults with disabilities who head their household. Key Rental Assistance can lower the rent so it is affordable on a very low income. You must be referred by a participating service agency — for example your county Department of Social Services or a behavioral health provider — which helps you pick a unit and join its waitlist. Tenants have the same lease and rights as their neighbors.

North Carolina funds free civil legal help for residents age 60 and older through the Older Americans Act, with the money going to the Area Agencies on Aging. Lawyers help with income matters such as Social Security, pensions and unemployment; health care matters such as Medicaid, Medicare and veterans' benefits; housing matters such as evictions, unsafe conditions, foreclosures and predatory lending; and defense against guardianship and powers of attorney. There is no income limit, but the program is aimed at older adults with the greatest economic and social need — including people in rural areas, people with severe disabilities, people with limited English, people with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, and people at risk of being placed in an institution. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging to be connected to a legal services provider, or call the NCDHHS Customer Service Center at 1-800-662-7030.

State/County Special Assistance is a monthly cash supplement for low-income North Carolinians who are age 65 or older, or disabled. One track helps pay for room and board in an approved adult care home; the In-Home track provides a cash supplement to people at risk of entering a facility so they can stay in their own home with care. People who get Special Assistance in an adult care home are automatically eligible for Medicaid. Apply through your county Department of Social Services.

Estimated service value: $1,200–$18,000 a year

The Circuit Breaker program caps the property tax on your permanent residence at a percentage of your income, deferring the rest. You must be age 65 or older, or totally and permanently disabled, and have owned and occupied the home for at least five years. For the 2026 tax year, if your prior-year income is $38,800 or less, tax is limited to 4% of income; if income is between $38,800 and $58,200, tax is limited to 5%. Apply on Form AV-9 every year by June 1. Send it to your county tax assessor, not the N.C. Department of Revenue; county assessor addresses and phone numbers are on the NCDOR county assessors list (ncdor.gov/documents/north-carolina-county-assessors-list).

Estimated bill savings: $200–$3,000 a year