The Philadelphia County Assistance Office (CAO) helps low-income families and individuals access benefits programs like SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps), TANF or Cash benefits, Home Heating, Child Care, and Long-Term Care Services. In this post, we are going to describe the CAO benefits and how to apply, plus the list of CAO office locations near you, including Pittsburgh and McKeesport.
Table of Contents:
- Philadelphia County Assistance Benefits
- Philadelphia County Assistance Office Locations
- Phone Number for County Assistance Office
- How to Apply for Pennsylvania Assistance Benefits
- Philadelphia Food Stamps FAQs
Philadelphia County Assistance Benefits
The Philadelphia County Assistance office helps people and families in need to access public assistance benefits, including SNAP or Food Stamps.
You can submit applications for benefits or renewals benefits at your local county assistance office.
Caseworkers are available at the county assistance office to help you and answer your questions in person or over the phone if the office is closed to the public.
In addition to helping with SNAP or food stamps benefits, the Philadelphia Assistance office can also help with the following benefit programs:
- Cash Assistance
- Health Care Coverage (Medical Assistance)
- Home Heating Assistance (LIHEAP)
- Family Planning Services
- Help with Child Care
- School Meals
- Long-Term Living Services
Philadelphia County Assistance Office Locations
There are 9 DHS County Assistance office locations in Philadelphia, PA.
You can visit a Philadelphia County Assistance office to:
- Apply for Public Assistance Benefits
- Complete your interview
- Renew your Public Assistance Benefit
- Get help with your benefits, including SNAP, LIHEAP, Medicaid, and more.
Below is a list of all the County Assistance Office locations, including phone numbers and hours of operation.
Philadelphia County Assistance Office Headquarters
801 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-7226
LIHEAP: 215-560-1583
FAX: 215-560-3214
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
1348 W. Sedgley Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19132-2498
Hours: 8 a.m-5 p.m.
LIHEAP: 215-560-1583
LIHEAP Fax: 215-560-2260
Boulevard District
4109 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19124-4508
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-6500
FAX: 215-560-2087
Chelten District
301 East Chelten Avenue, 1st Flr.
Philadelphia, PA 19144-5751
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-5200
FAX: 215-560-5251
Delancey District
5740 Market Street 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19139-3204
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-3700
FAX: 215-560-2907
Elmwood District
5740 Market Street 1st Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19139-3204
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-3800
FAX: 215-560-2065
Glendale District
5201 Old York Road
Philadelphia, PA 19141-9943
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-4600
FAX: 215-456-5103
Liberty District
219 East Lehigh Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125-1099
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-4000
FAX: 215-560-4065
Long Term and Independent Services District
5070 Parkside Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19131
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-5500
FAX: 215-560-1495
Ridge/Tioga District
1350 West Sedgley Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19132-2498
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-4900
FAX: 215-560-4938
Somerset District
2701 N. Broad Street, 2nd Flr.
Philadelphia, PA 19132-2743
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-5400
FAX: 215-560-5403
South District
1163 S. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-4400
FAX: 215-218-4650
Unity District
4111 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19124
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-6400
FAX: 215-560-2067
West District
5070 Parkside Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19131-4747
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 215-560-6100
FAX: 215-560-2053
For a complete list of all the DHS County Assistance Offices in Pennsylvania, use our Pennsylvania County Assistance Location finder.
Phone Number for Philadelphia County Assistance Office
For more help with your benefits, contact the Philadelphia Food Stamps Customer Service phone number at 412) 565-2146 (Headquarters).
Customer Service representatives are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Customer service can help answer your questions about Pennsylvania benefits, including SNAP benefits eligibility, application, EBT Card, or any other general questions.
In addition, you can contact your local Philadelphia Assistance Office (PA DHS) or call the Pennsylvania SNAP Customer Service Center at 1-877-395-8930.
How to Apply for Pennsylvania Assistance Benefits
There are three different ways to apply for or renew your benefits in Philadelphia, PA.
Online
Use the COMPASS website. You can see if you qualify, apply for, or renew benefits all online.
To login to your COMPASS account, see our post on COMPASS account login.
Also, if you need help creating an account, see our post on How to create a COMPASS Account.
In-Person
Your local county assistance office can help answer any questions and assist you in person.
See above for office locations in Philadelphia, PA.
Paper Application
Download the appropriate paper application from the list below and mail it to the county assistance office locations listed above.
- Pennsylvania Application for Benefits(Cash Assistance, Health Care, SNAP) English
- Health Care Coverage Application — English
- SNAP Application — English
- SNAP (Simple Application) for Seniors and People with Disabilities — English
- Breast Cancer Prevention & Treatment Program Application — English
- Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities Application — English
- Benefits Review — English
- Medical Assistance Financial Eligibility Application for Long-Term Care, Supports, and Services English
Philadelphia Food Stamps FAQs
Here are the most frequently asked questions about food stamps in Philadelphia, PA.
What Grocery Stores accept EBT in Philadelphia County?
There are over 921 stores that take Food Stamps in Philadelphia, PA.
This includes the following stores:
- 7-Eleven
- Acme Market
- Aldi
- APlus
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
- Big Lots
- Cousin’s Fresh Market
- Costco
- CVS Pharmacy
- Dollar General
- Dollar Tree
- Family Dollar Store
- Giant Heirloom Market
- H Mart
- Happy Day Food Market
- Hung Vuong Food
- Indiana Mini Market
- Joe’s Kwik Mart
- La Chapinita Grocery Store
- Lidl
- Los Materos Food Market
- Pantry 1 Food Mart
- Pharmacy Of America
- Produce Junction
- Redners Warehouse Market
- Rite Aid
- Royal Farms
- Save-A-Lot
- Shoprite
- Sunshine Food Market
- Swiss Farm Stores
- Target
- Trader Joe’s
- Torres Grocery
- Walgreens
- Walmart
- Wawa
- Weis Markets
For the complete list, see our post on Stores that take SNAP EBT in Philadelphia County.
What are the requirements for Seniors to get SNAP?
It is now easier for seniors in Philadelphia, PA to Apply for Food Stamps.
The Elderly Simplified Application Process, also referred to as ESAP, makes it easier for some seniors to apply for and continue to receive SNAP benefits.
Here are some of the ways ESAP makes the SNAP application simple for seniors:
First, the application has fewer questions.
Second, very few documents are needed (often just proof of ID).
Third, the SNAP interview can be waived.
Lastly, seniors who are approved for SNAP will only need to re-certify once every three years instead of every six months.
To be eligible for ESAP, you must meet the criteria below:
- Everyone in the household is aged 60+ or receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- No one is working and income is a fixed amount (I.e Social Security Benefits)
- Rent/Mortgage costs are “reasonable”, subsidized or fixed.
If you are age 60 or older, live in Philadelphia, and want help applying for food stamps or to see if you’re eligible here’s what you can do:
The PA DHS has contracted Just Harvest to provide free SNAP eligibility screenings and streamlined application assistance to residents of Philadelphia.
Just Harvest can help you apply for SNAP using the ESAP process, and there is no charge for their services.
Call them over the phone at (412) 431-8960 (option 3).
Can I get Amazon Prime Discount with PA SNAP?
Yes, as a Pennsylvania SNAP EBT Cardholder, you can get over 50% OFF Amazon Prime when you sign up with your EBT Card.
With the Amazon Prime EBT discount, you can get all the great benefits of Prime at a fraction of the cost.
Also, as an Amazon Prime member, you get FREE shipping on Amazon Fresh groceries.
The regular Amazon Prime monthly membership fee is $14.99. As a Pennsylvania SNAP EBT cardholder, you get Amazon Prime for $6.99 per month.
That’s more than a 50% discount on the regular membership fee.
Best of all, you can try Amazon Prime for FREE for 30 days. After 30 days, you can sign up for the SNAP EBT discount.
Click here to sign up for a FREE 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.
For just $6.99 per month you get all these EBT Amazon Prime benefits:
- One-Day FREE Shipping on millions of eligible Amazon items
- Two-Day FREE Shipping on millions of eligible Amazon items
- Access to instantly stream thousands of Free Movies & TV Shows
- Access to Unlimited FREE Prime Music streaming
- FREE 2-Hour Delivery on Prime Now items
CLICK HERE to Sign up and Save with the Amazon Prime Discount for EBT Cardholders.
Are students in Philadelphia Eligible for Food Stamps?
NO. Generally, college students are not eligible for SNAP, but there are many exceptions to this rule.
Students may be eligible for food stamps in Philadelphia if they are:
- Working 20 hours a week or more;
- Receiving federal or state work-study;
- Caring for a child under age 6;
- Caring for a child under age 12 if the student is a single parent in college full time;
- Unable or “unfit for work” (that is, have a medical barrier to employment);
- Under the age of 18 or over age 50; or
- Enrolled less than half time.
For a list of all student SNAP exceptions, refer to Chapter 514.2 of the PA DHS SNAP Manual here.
Philadelphia County Assistance Office Summary
We hope you found this guide on the County Assistance Office locations helpful!
If you have additional questions about how to get benefits in Philadelphia, including Pennsylvania SNAP EBT benefits, please let us know in the comments section below.
If the meantime, check out our other articles on Pennsylvania Food Stamps:
- Can you get Food Stamps in Pennsylvania without a job?
- How long will SNAP Increase last in Pennsylvania?
- PA EBT Card Discounts & Freebies
- Pennsylvania EBT Card Guide
- Pennsylvania Food Stamps FAQs
- Food Stamps Benefits in Allegheny County, PA
