Your first steps, in plain English
Papers, food, health care, a phone and a bank account come first, whatever you're starting over from. Each guide gives you the short answer, the steps in order, what to bring and what it costs, with every fact linked to an official source. One step at a time, you've got this.
Need a hand? Call or text 888-860-RISE and we'll help you reach a real person.
Documents
How to get an ID after prison
Step by step: how to get your birth certificate, Social Security card, and state ID after prison or jail, in the order that works, with what to bring, what it costs, and state examples.
How to get a copy of your birth certificate
How to order a certified copy of your birth certificate from the state where you were born, what to do if you have no ID, what it costs in different states, and who can get it free.
How to replace your Social Security card
Replacing a Social Security card is free. How to start online, what ID to bring if you don't have a license, the yearly limits and how to get past them, and when survivors can get a new number.
How to get mail when you don't have a home
No home address? How to get mail through USPS General Delivery or a shelter, what address to use for benefits, ID and voting, and how to guard your identity.
Food and health care
How to apply for SNAP food benefits
How to apply for SNAP food benefits: where to apply, how to get help within 7 days, what to bring, how much you could get, and the 2025 work-rule changes for adults 18 to 64.
How to get Medicaid
How to apply for Medicaid, coverage before release from prison, coverage to 26 for former foster youth, and who is exempt from the work requirement that starts by January 1, 2027.
Medicaid until 26 for young adults who were in foster care
Aged out of foster care? You may get Medicaid until 26 with no income limit, even after a move if you turned 18 in 2023 or later. Who qualifies, how to apply.
How to find addiction treatment that fits you
How to find drug or alcohol treatment that fits: the free national helpline, levels of care, paying with or without insurance, and recruiter scams to avoid.
Medication for opioid addiction: how it works and how to get it
How buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone treat opioid addiction, where to get each one, what Medicaid and Medicare cover, and myths that keep people away.
How to get naloxone and use it to stop an overdose
Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose. Where to get it free or over the counter, how to give the nasal spray step by step, and laws that protect 911 callers.
Phone and money
How to get a low-cost phone plan with Lifeline
Lifeline takes up to $9.25 a month off phone or internet service. Who qualifies, how to apply through the National Verifier without a permanent address, and how survivors can split from a shared plan.
How to open a bank account with a record, a bad banking history or no credit
Why banks turn people down, how to get your free ChexSystems and Early Warning reports and fix mistakes, which low-cost accounts to ask for, and what to do with no address, no SSN or a prison release card.
Getting help and benefits as a trafficking survivor
Help for trafficking survivors: benefits for citizens, HHS Certification and Eligibility Letters for foreign nationals, Continued Presence, and 2026 changes.