Is it true that there are government agencies that can help people develop and market patents?

Under certain circumstances some of these things are possible/permissible. For example, the government can fund work through the national laboratories or by way of small business initiation grants involving collaboration with universities. There is an inventor's help desk at the US Patent Office that will answer questions regarding patent prosecution, and the patent office provides many informational resources, but in so far as I am aware, the USPTO has no programs that directly help people develop and market specific patents.

Short answer: No. The USPTO will provide basic information about how to apply for a patent or trademark but they will not help you write the application or develop or market a product.

Unfortunately - no. The uspto cannot help in this type of situation. Commercial vendors claim to provide such services, but I have not seen much success. You are mostly on your own here.

They can give some limited assistance, but you will often need more than what they can provide. Try looking at these websites to see if they can give you the help you are looking for: http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/support-centers/inventors-assistance-center-iac http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/inventors-entrepreneurs-resources.