• Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, has a poverty rate of 33.5 percent and is tied with Youngstown, Ohio, as the poorest U.S. city, according to a report by the Brookings Institution and based on 2008 data. Significant government projects and programs are aimed at helping the disadvantaged among Hartford's population of about 124,000 residents (as of 2009 U.S. Census Bureau estimates).
  
  

Charter Oak Health Insurance

• Charter Oak Health Plan has been providing health-care coverage to uninsured Connecticut adults, 19 to 64 years old, since 2008. The monthly premium for the benefit package as of 2010 is $307, with an income-based deductible. It covers hospital and maternity care, doctor and clinic visits, X-rays and lab tests, prescriptions and some mental-health and substance-abuse services. All preexisting conditions are covered.
  
  

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

• The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides grants to states including Connecticut to fund programs that provide services and benefits to needy families. According to the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services, TANF is designed to enable states to operate programs that serve one of these purposes: provide assistance to needy families, end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work and marriage, prevent unwanted pregnancies and encourage the formation of two-parent families.
  
  

Connecticut Energy Assistance Program

• The Connecticut Energy Assistance Program helps households in Hartford and throughout the state to pay for heating bills. Benefit levels range from $605 to $880 as of November 2010. People whose heating bills are included in their monthly rent may also qualify for $380 to $410 in winter heating assistance as of November 2010.
  
  

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program

• Hartford's WIC Program is a supplemental food and nutrition education program for women, infants and children. According to the city's Department of Health and Human Services, the program provides nutritious supplemental foods to all eligible participants, iron-fortified formula to infants who are not breastfed, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding education and support, and health-care referrals.