Cash Assistance and TANF From the Berks County Assistance Office
Cash assistance is a group of programs from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, handled locally by county assistance offices such as the Berks County Assistance Office, that give temporary financial support to Pennsylvanians with low incomes to pay for everyday expenses.
Four programs are covered: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Diversion Program, the State Blind Pension Program and the Refugee Cash Assistance Program. The page does not say who qualifies for each one, what the income limits are, how much money you get or how long payments last, so ask the county assistance office about your own situation.
You can apply for or renew cash assistance benefits online through COMPASS, at compass.dhs.pa.gov. COMPASS is the online tool where you apply for and renew services from the Department of Human Services.
If you get cash assistance and are able to work, you must look for work, accept any genuine offer of employment, and keep the job. This starts with an initial job search, which you can do with help from a caseworker at your local county assistance office. Your caseworker can go over which job program fits your work history, skills, schooling, transportation and child care situation. After the initial job search, an approved education or training program can count toward the work requirement during your first two years on cash assistance. After two years in a program, you may be able to combine work hours and school hours to meet the requirement, so ask your caseworker whether that applies to you.
Child Care Works can help you find and pay for child care while you are on cash assistance and looking for a job, working or going to school, and it can keep helping after cash assistance ends. The Child Care Works helpline is 1-877-4-PA-KIDS (1-877-472-5437). You choose the type of care your children get.
If you cannot find the information you need, call your local county assistance office or the HelpLine at 1-800-692-7462. You can also contact the Department of Human Services through its feedback form or by calling 1-800-692-7462.
The page does not give the Berks County Assistance Office address or its hours, and it does not say how long a decision takes or what documents to bring. Call the HelpLine or your county assistance office to ask before you go.
Source: pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/cash-assistance, read September 18, 2026.
The details
In Berks County Assistance Office’s words
Cash assistance programs help provide temporary financial support to Pennsylvanians with low incomes to pay for everyday expenses.
Organization
Berks County Assistance Office
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This listing summarizes publicly available information from pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/cash-assistance. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.