If you qualify for government assistance that means that your work is unwilling to pay you a living wage. It's not your fault. Your employer should feel ashamed if any employee ever needs to apply for government assistance. I struggled for years because I felt ashamed about the idea of receiving government assistance. I finally realized that I work hard doing a skilled labor job and deserve better pay but my work chooses to underpay its employees because “wages are depressed in my area”. I applied for food assistance and am grateful it's there for people like me. I no longer have to live with the constant stress of worrying wether or not I can afford to feed my family and pay the bills. It's not your fault.