Financial Assistance

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is a federal program that provides financial assistance and job support to eligible families. In Colorado, the program is known as Colorado Works. Households must have a child in the home under the age of 18, meet certain income and residency requirements, and at least one of the children must have legal immigration status to be eligible for this program. 

Anyone interested in applying for the Colorado Works program can do so online using the Colorado PEAK website or the MyCOBenefits app. 

  • Pitkin County residents may complete a paper application available at the Schultz Health & Human Services building located at 405 Castle Creek Road, Aspen, CO 81611. Paper applications can be dropped off at that location or sent to the address via mail. For additional information, please call: (970) 920-5244.

Adult Financial Assistance

Adult Financial assistance is a program funded by the State of Colorado that provides monthly financial assistance to older adults (Old Age Pension & the Medicare Savings Program) and disabled adults (Aid to the Needy Disabled) who are very low income. In place of direct cash benefits, the Medicare Savings Program may help pay your Medicare Part B premium. Applications for these programs are processed by the Pitkin County Economic Assistance department. You can complete an application online at Colorado PEAK or obtain a paper copy from the outdoor dropbox located in front of the Schultz Health & Human Services Building at 405 Castle Creek Road, Aspen, CO 81611. 

Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) 

The Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) is designed to help low-income households with their heating expense and water bills. For those eligible for LEAP, the program will pay a portion of the household’s heating expense (determined based on income and household size) directly to the utility company or heat source to offset the cost of the monthly heating expense. This credit can go towards a past due balance or future expenses. LEAP will also help pay water bills for eligible applicants. The LEAP program typically accepts applications from November through April annually however, the program is still accepting applications until additional emergency funding is expended.  Applications for this program are processed by the Pitkin County Economic Assistance department. You can complete an application online at Colorado PEAK or obtain a paper copy from the outdoor dropbox located in front of the Schultz Health & Human Services Building at 405 Castle Creek Road, Aspen, CO 81611.

Child Support Services 

The Garfield/Pitkin/Rio Blanco County Child Support Services (CSS) establishes and enforces child support court orders against non-custodial parents (parents who are out of the home) to help pay for the financial and medical support of their children. Child support collections eliminate or reduce the need for public assistance and help to repay the public assistance fund. Child support services are available to help mothers, fathers, grandparents, and other caretakers.  For more info, please visit the Garfield County website or call the Child Support Services Unit at 970­945­9191, ext. 7300. Applications can be made online.

Colorado Works/TANF and Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) recipients are mandated to cooperate with the CSS program. Custodial parents receiving public assistance (Colorado Works, or TANF) are automatically eligible for child support services at no fee. When custodial parents terminate public assistance, CSS will continue to collect all current and past due money owed to the custodial parent. 

 

Pitkin County Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF)

The Pitkin County Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF) is available to Pitkin County residents to assist in instances of financial emergencies. In order to be approved for assistance, applicants must be able to demonstrate that they will be able to maintain self-sufficiency moving forward. Households are eligible to receive assistance from this program once every 12 months. Applications can be completed and submitted via email to pitkin-ea@pitkincounty.com or in-person/mail at the Schultz Health & Human Services Building at 405 Castle Creek Road, Aspen, CO 81611.

English PDF (fillable)               Spanish PDF (fillable)

English PDF (printable)           Spanish PDF (printable) 

 

Unemployment Insurance Benefits

For information on unemployment benefits, please visit the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment website. This site has information on how to start a claim, manage an existing claim, as well as resources for unemployed workers. 

For additional resources for unemployed workers, Pitkin County residents can contact the Colorado Workforce Center in Glenwood Springs at (970) 945-8638 or register for their services here.  

Other Resources

Alpine Legal Services -  Alpine Legal Services, Inc. is a private, non-profit civil legal assistance agency dedicated to providing legal services and upholding fundamental legal rights in Garfield, Pitkin, and western Eagle Counties for more than a quarter-century. 
Catholic Charities -  Catholic Charities in Eagle, Garfield, and Pitkin counties operate the following care programs: Community Integration Services, Emergency Assistance,  and Homeless Prevention. 
Aspen Family Connections -  Aspen Family Connections is a family resource center,  created to connect all Pitkin County children, youth, and families with a wide range of community resources.  Whether you need economic assistance and benefits, academic and extra-curricular support, social/emotional and mental health counseling, legal advice and mediation, summer activities – or anything else – we’re here to help you find and access it. 
Valley Settlement - Valley Settlement works with immigrant families in the Roaring Fork Valley to promote early childhood development, advance opportunity, and reduce barriers to accessing vital community resources. 
La Medichi (a project of Manaus) - We enable people to create the habit of savings by combining the security and ease of a mobile app with the trust of community savings clubs. 
Tom’s Door -  The mission of Tom’s Door is to provide emergency assistance in the Roaring Fork Valley area, from Aspen to Parachute, to those in need and who have the potential to improve their quality of life.  
Family Resource Center of the Roaring Fork Schools (RE 1) - The family services department/Family Resource Center of the Roaring Fork Schools strengthens student health, well-being, and academic achievement by partnering with families, schools, and communities.