public assistance vs assistance

public assistance and assistance both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
public assistance	Yes	No	No	No
assistance	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, assistance is a hypernym of public assistance; that is, assistance is a word with a broader meaning than public assistance:

public assistance: governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need
assistance: gift of money or other material help to support a person or cause

Other hypernyms of public assistance include aid, economic aid, economic assistance, financial aid, financial assistance.

public assistance (noun)	assistance (noun)
governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need	the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
	a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
	gift of money or other material help to support a person or cause