public assistance

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Aid, such as money or food, given to homeless and other financially needy people, the aged, or the inhabitants of a disaster-stricken area; relief.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun law, public policy Payment made to disadvantaged persons by government in order to alleviate the burdens of poverty, unemployment, disability, old age, etc.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need