Pennsylvania Resources

Pennsylvania Resources

Food Assistance

Patriot Home Care is deeply committed to helping our clients achieve the highest quality of life possible and that means having access to healthy food. We host several food drives every month so that our Seniors have reliable access seasonable fruits and vegetables, as well as heart-healthy meats and grains. We post these event details in our monthly newsletter, which can be viewed by clicking: Patriot February Newsletter.

Other Food Assistance Providers:

Manna is Philadelphia based non-profit that provides temporary meal programs to people with serious illnesses who need nourishment to heal. Manna provide medically tailored meals and nutrition education, to empower people to improve their health and quality of life.

There are two easy ways to apply for MANNA’s meal and nutrition counseling services:

  • A medical professional (doctor, dietitian, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, case manager, etc.) can complete a MANNA Referral Form and fax it to their Nutrition & Client Services department at (215) 496-9102.
  • You can also refer yourself by calling (215) 496-2662 x5. Manna’s Nutrition & Client Services team will assist you and coordinate with your healthcare provider to complete the required referral form.

To fill out a referral form click: Manna Referral Form

If you qualify for Manna services, Manna will cook and deliver Every client receives ONE delivery each week, including:

  • 7 Breakfast meals
  • 7 Lunch meals
  • 7 Dinner entrees
  • Healthy desserts
  • Fresh fruit
To view a sample of the Manna click: Manna Sample Menu
Philabundance is the largest hunger relief organization in the Delaware Valley. For more than 35 years, Philabundance has focused on providing emergency food in order to relieve hunger in five counties in PA and four counties in NJ. Of those they serve each week, 16% are seniors, many of whom are living on fixed incomes and limited resources.

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) provides USDA-donated food to low-income seniors through monthly “senior boxes”. Philabundance packs and distributes these boxes to strategically chosen locations throughout the Delaware Valley, ensuring that more seniors have access to shelf-stable foods to last them throughout the month. Boxes contain approximately 30 pounds of canned and boxed food including vegetables, fruit, juice, pasta, milk, cereal, canned meat and a non-meat protein. A nutritional newsletter containing recipes and information is included in each box. They provide 4,500 boxes per month.

To find out if you qualify and information on how to register for this services click: Guidelines for CSFP

Housing and Utility Assistance

Patriot Home Care understands the immense personal and financial hardships that COVID-19 has put on the populations we serve. It is our responsibility to inform our community members about available resources that can ease their anxieties around paying their mortgages, rents, and utility bills.
Philabundance is the largest hunger relief organization in the Delaware Valley. For more than 35 years, Philabundance has focused on providing emergency food in order to relieve hunger in five counties in PA and four counties in NJ. Of those they serve each week, 16% are seniors, many of whom are living on fixed incomes and limited resources.

What is Covered?

The PAHAF program provides assistance for the following mortgage and housing-related expenses to help prevent mortgage delinquencies, default, foreclosure, and displacement. The maximum amount of assistance for any homeowner under the PAHAF is $30,000 or up to 24 months of assistance.

Mortgage Reinstatement

Provides funds to bring a first mortgage current and to pay other housing-related costs, such as taxes and insurance, if included in the mortgage payment, related to a period of forbearance, delinquency, or up to the maximum per household assistance cap of the lesser of $30,000 or 24 months

Forward Mortgage Payment

Provides forward payment assistance for up to 6 months or until the maximum per household assistance cap of the lesser of $30,000 or 24 months is reached. This program element is only available to homeowners who also qualify for mortgage reinstatement assistance and is not available as a standalone option.

Property Charges

Provides funds for past due property taxes, reverse mortgage insurance premiums, homeowner association (HOA) fees, condominium fees, or common charges that put ownership of the property at-risk including mortgage foreclosures and displacement of homeowners. Maximum assistance falls under the maximum cap of $30,000 or 24 months and

  • $5,000 for delinquent property taxes
  • $3,000 for insurance premiums
  • $5,000 for delinquent homeowner/condominium fees

Delinquent Utilities

Provides funds to resolve delinquent payments for utility services, particularly for those utility bills where no program currently exists in the Commonwealth, and that there is imminent loss of utility disconnection, liens, possible foreclosure, or homeowner displacement. Utility assistance may be available in combination with mortgage reinstatement and mortgage payment assistance or as a standalone option for homeowners without a mortgage. As a standalone option, the maximum utility assistance is capped at 24 months or $3,000.

Eligibility

To see if you are eligible for assistance, click: Eligibility Requirements
​If you qualify for PECO’s Customer Assistance Program (CAP) you can receive a monthly credit on your PECO bill. The credit is based on your household’s gross income and energy use.
Your monthly CAP credit is based on the following information: Monthly gross household income – Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Annual energy usage – The amount of energy you used in the past 12 months. Energy burden – The percentage of household income that goes to energy costs. PECO uses these three pieces of information to determine your monthly CAP credit. That credit amount is applied to a CAP customer’s PECO bill each month. Energy usage can change due to the weather. So, CAP customers will receive a larger credit during months they use more energy.

Do You Qualify for CAP?

To qualify for CAP, monthly household income cannot be more than:

  • $1,610 – One person in home
  • $2,178 – Two people in home
  • $2,745 – Three people in home
  • $3,312 – Four people in home
  • Add $567 for each extra person.
In addition, you must use PECO for your electric and natural gas supply to qualify. You cannot be enrolled with a competitive supplier.

How to Apply

In order to apply for this assistance you will need the following:
  • Address and phone number associated with your PECO account
  • Full name and birthdate of each household member
  • Proof of income during the past 30 days for each household member
  • Examples include: pay stub, unemployment compensation letter, pension check, workmen’s compensation check, DHS award letter, child support order letter, Social Security award letter and Supplemental Security Income
  • Social security number for each household member (optional)
You can apply online here: Apply for PECO CAP Program. Or you can download an application, however application submitted online may be processed faster. Download CAP Application – English (pdf) Download CAP Application – Spanish (pdf) If you download a CAP application, you can submit it three ways.:


Email:  PECOCAP@exeloncorp.com

Fax: 1-855-358-9369

Mail: PECO CAP

          P.O. Box 467429

         Atlanta, GA 31146-9801

If you need help with your application you can call 1-800-774-7040.

PGW’s Customer Responsibility Program is a customer assistance program that can help low-income customers better afford their PGW bills and keep their gas service on. CRP customers pay less each month and past debt is forgiven.

Apply online now through My Account and have the following items available:

  • Proof of gross household income for the past 30 days, and
  • The name, social security cards and date of birth for each household member
Anyone having trouble paying their water bill should apply for help using the Philadelphia Water Department’s one-stop application process. They use a single application for all water bill assistance programs, including the Senior Citizen Discount and the Tiered Assistance Program (TAP). If your income is too high for those programs, a Special Hardship can make you eligible for TAP.

Assistance Program (TAP). If your income is too high for those programs, a Special Hardship can make you eligible for TAP.

New assistance programs are designed to help more Philadelphia Water Department customers, including:

  • Households with low income.
  • Seniors.
  • Those experiencing a special hardship that makes it difficult to pay their water bills.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

You will need the following to apply and please do not send originals.

1. Water Access Code (found on your bill)  

You will need the 9-digit number in the upper right of any recent water bill (click the question mark for the example)

2. Two Proofs of Residency: Include TWO different items from the following list:
  • Current government issued ID with current address (driver’s license or ID card)

OR

  • Current rental agreement, or agreement for sale for the dwelling unit.

OR

  • 2 recent utility bills (must show service and mailing addresses, and be dated in the last 6 months), tax bill, or other tax record.

OR

  • Lease, rent book, or money order receipts that show your address.

3. Proof of income for everyone in the household over age 18:

  • For each person in your household (age 18 or older), please gather proof of all income using the following list of acceptable documents:
  • Prior year’s federal income tax return (you’ll just need the page that shown name gross income.)

OR

  • Pay stubs (must be consecutive and cover at least 30 days)

OR

  • Benefit award letter or statement, such as: Unemployment compensation printout, Workers’ compensation award, Social Security letter, Pension letter, or Welfare benefits statement.

OR

  • Income support statement – For example, if you receive Child Support, we’ll ask for some proof of the current amount and source, such as: A letter from childsupport.pa.gov (you will need to login to the site), or Fill out the page of the application called “Attachment A: Income Support Documentation”

4. If you are applying with a Special Hardship claim, you’ll need to submit some form of hardship documentation:

  • Termination letter to prove job loss
  • Hospital admission or discharge documents to prove serious illness
  • Birth or adoption certificate to show household size increase
  • Death certificate to prove the death of main income earner
  • Safe harbor documents to show shelter admission due to abuse
  • Copies of most recent bills, including utilities, medical, or childcare to show high household expenses or medical bills.
To Start your Application click: Begin Application

Mental Health Resources

Patriot Home Care knows the importance of mental health, while realizing the financial barriers to access. However, there are publicly-funded mental health services that provide quality care.

Many people don’t realize that publicly-funded mental health services are available in their state. People looking for free or low-cost counseling often think their only options are counselors in private practice and don’t know that publicly-funded providers in their communities may also offer counseling services.

In many states, intake and referral programs for public mental health services determine whether people are eligible for services based on their diagnoses and the severity of their mental health conditions. In Pennsylvania, county mental health offices and base service units determine a person’s eligibility for financial assistance but provide referral services to local programs even for people who don’t qualify for financial assistance. In many cases, contracted providers accept a wide range of insurance plans and offer sliding scale fees to people without insurance even when they don’t qualify for financial assistance from the state.

To search for affordable counseling options by zip code click: Open Counseling Search Resource
If you need help with a mental health crisis, call 215-685-6440 for immediate, secure, 24-hour support.


Call the Mental Health Delegate Line if you are seeking help for yourself, a family member, a friend, etc. (available 24-Hours a day, 7 days a week) to obtain the following service(s):

  • Information, consultation, guidance, technical advice and referral
  • A Mobile Crisis Team for on-site assessment and intervention
  • Referral to a nearby Crisis Response Center for evaluation, treatment and recovery services
  • Deployment of a Crisis Specialist to provide appropriate support and related service for a limited period of time to a person in their own home who is experiencing a significant crisis
  • Applications for Involuntary Emergency Examination and Treatment for Persons who have a mental disability, are a danger to themselves or others and refuse to accept treatment
  • A short term mental health crisis residence providing intervention for various psychiatric stress conditions
  • A Community Response Team for communities experiencing violence and other traumatic events to foster resilience by offering support, crisis counseling, psychological first aid, psycho-education and referral for other appropriate services.

Patriot Home Care supports the health and wellness of all of our community members and realizes the financial cost involved in self testing for COVID-19. Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order #4 free at home COVID-19 tests. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days and we urge you to order your tests now so you have them when you need them.

Order COVID-19 Tests