Cash Assistance From the Berks County Assistance Office
Cash assistance is a group of programs from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that help provide 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. In Berks County the county assistance office handles these cases, and 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.
The page does not print income limits or payment amounts for these programs, so ask a caseworker how the rules apply to your household.
To apply: you can apply for or renew your cash assistance benefits online by using COMPASS, at compass.dhs.pa.gov. You can also submit applications and renewals at your local county assistance office drop box.
There is a time limit on TANF. An adult may receive cash assistance for only five years total in a lifetime. Up to 12 months of cash assistance can be kept off that clock through a "TANF Time-Out" if you are a victim of domestic violence, or if you care for a related child who is not your own and meet the conditions listed for that situation. After the five years end, you may still be eligible through "Extended TANF" if you are working or in an approved training program, you or a family member is a victim of domestic violence, you have a physical or mental condition that prevents you from working, you have a family crisis, you are caring for an individual who is disabled, you have a child under the age of 12 months, or you are able to work but can't find a job. Extended TANF may require you to participate in an approved program such as the Maximizing Participation Project (MPP) or the Work Plus Program (WPP).
Work rules come with the benefit. Anyone who receives cash assistance and is able to work must look for work, accept any real offer of employment, and keep the job. This begins with an initial job search, which you can do with help from a caseworker at your local county assistance office. During your first two years on cash assistance, after you complete that initial job search, going to an approved education or training program can help you meet work requirements; after two years you may be able to combine your hours of work and school, so ask your caseworker whether this applies to you. If you are excused from work requirements because you are caring for a child under one year old, or you are about to have a baby, that exemption is limited to 12 months total over the course of your lifetime, and you have your doctor fill out a medical assessment form to determine if you are exempt. Time spent recovering from delivering your baby does not count against those 12 months.
Child Care Works will help you find and pay for quality child care while you are on cash assistance and looking for a job, going to work or going to school, and it will also help you while you are working after cash assistance ends. The Child Care Works helpline is 1-877-4-PA-KIDS (1-877-472-5437).
Health coverage does not end the moment your cash does. You and your family automatically remain eligible for Medical Assistance (MA)/Medicaid for at least six months after you start working, no matter how much money you make, and your children might remain eligible even after you no longer qualify. CHIP offers free or low-cost health insurance for children under age 19 whose families are not eligible for Medicaid; the CHIP number is 1-800-986-5437.
Where to go in Berks County: the Berks County Assistance Office is in the Reading State Office Building at 625 Cherry Street, Reading, PA 19602-1188. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The office phone is 610-736-4211 and the toll-free number is 1-866-215-3912.
For general questions about cash assistance you can call your local county assistance office or the HelpLine at 1-800-692-7462. That same number reaches the Department of Human Services, which can also be contacted through its feedback form.
The page does not say what documents to bring or how long a decision takes.
Source: pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/cash-assistance, read October 31, 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. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Diversion Program State Blind Pension Program Refugee Cash Assistance Program
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: October 31, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.