Help leaving homelessness in California
We've found 13 places in California for people leaving homelessness, mostly in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, and 6 that serve the whole state. Our volunteers haven't confirmed these yet, so a quick call ahead is worth it. Most of them help with food (8), shelter & housing (7) and health & medication (5).
What's different in California
$29 per copy, or free for people who are homeless, with an affidavit signed by a homeless services provider.
People experiencing homelessness can register to vote using cross streets or a park as their address, or a shelter where they spend most of their time. A PO Box can't be your registration address, but it can be your mailing address.
From our guides, where every fact links to its official source.
Places in California
Refugee Programs Bureau
State office that coordinates resettlement support for refugees and other eligible newcomers through counties, resettlement agencies, and community organizations, and connects people to refugee health and regional immigrant legal hubs.
Union Rescue Mission
Skid Row mission offering emergency shelter, meals, showers, recovery and transitional programs for single adults and families with children; it does not turn away women, children, or families. Call the intake line or apply online before arriving.
Downtown Women's Center
Day center for women and survivors of violence on Skid Row with daily meals, showers, mail, case management, mental health care, a women's health clinic, and permanent supportive housing. No formal intake is needed to visit.
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Free civil legal help for low-income Los Angeles County residents, including record clearing, eviction defense, domestic violence and family law, immigration, and public benefits. Call the intake line weekday mornings or apply online.
St. Anthony Foundation
Tenderloin service center serving more than 1,000 free meals a day, with a free clothing program, medical clinic, and the Father Alfred Center, a free year-long residential recovery program for men with limited resources.
GLIDE Daily Free Meals
Three free meals every day in San Francisco's Tenderloin with no eligibility requirements and no intake form. GLIDE also runs a Welcome Center, workforce development, a women's center, a transitional age youth program, and a legal clinic.
Father Joe's Villages
San Diego's largest homeless services campus with a daily day center, public lunch, showers, mail, a health clinic, detox and MAT, family shelter intake, and employment help. Show up in person before 11am on a weekday to be scheduled for an assessment.
Sacramento Loaves & Fishes
Survival services campus for unhoused adults and children in Sacramento with a daily noon meal, showers and clothing, a women's daytime shelter, free mental health counseling, a legal clinic, and a jail visitation program that gives bus passes and toiletry kits after release.
CDPH Vital Records
State office that issues certified copies of California birth certificates by mail. There is no public counter; orders are mailed through USPS and are not refundable once accepted.
California ID Card
Start the ID card application online, then visit a DMV office with your Social Security number and identity document. People experiencing homelessness and those fleeing domestic violence can get a no-fee ID; people on public assistance may qualify for a reduced-fee ID with form DL 937.
CalFresh
California's SNAP food benefits program, applied for through your county's online application, by phone, or at a county social services office. Application forms are available in 16 languages.
211 California
Network of county 211 call centers covering housing, food, utility help, health care, and mental health referrals across California. Use the Find Your 211 page to reach the center for your county, which can be called or texted.
Delancey Street Foundation
Free two-year residential self-help community for people with substance use histories, prior convictions, or homelessness, where residents learn vocational, academic, and interpersonal skills. Applicants write from jail or show up at the building and wait on the bench for an interview.
National lines that work in California
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 for any mental health or substance use crisis. Available to anyone in any program.
Lifeline free phone program
Free or discounted phone and service for people on Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or low income. Apply online or through a carrier.