Help after prison or jail in Arizona
We've found 10 places in Arizona for people after prison or jail, mostly in Phoenix and Tucson, 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 shelter & housing (5), benefits & cash (5) and health & medication (4).
Places in Arizona
211 Arizona
Arizona's information and referral line for food, shelter, utility help, reentry support, addiction treatment and confidential help leaving domestic violence. Dial 2-1-1 in state or the toll-free number, or search the online database.
Community Corrections (Reentry Services)
The state office that supervises people released from Arizona prisons and runs the reentry centers in Pima and Maricopa counties, which offer short-term emergency housing, substance use treatment and job-readiness help through DES. People on supervision contact their assigned officer; others can call the main line.
Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS)
Arizona's largest emergency shelter for single adults, open around the clock on the 12th Avenue campus in Phoenix, with a separate family shelter and a shelter for adults 55 and older. Adults 18+ walk in, complete campus intake, then ask to be directed to CASS; families call 211 for the Family Housing Hub.
Brian Garcia Welcome Center
Front door of the Key Campus in downtown Phoenix where single adults who are homeless or about to be get an assessment and a plan, then connect to shelter, housing and on-site partners. Visit between 7am and 11pm or call ahead.
Primavera Foundation
Tucson nonprofit running a men's shelter, Casa Paloma women's shelter, a family shelter program, rapid rehousing, rent and utility help and the Primavera Works day-labor program. Start at the drop-in Resource Center on South 6th Avenue during morning hours or call the Resource Center line.
Community Legal Services
Nonprofit civil law firm serving central and northern Arizona with housing, domestic violence and family law, public benefits, employment and conviction set-aside help for people who cannot afford a lawyer. Apply online or call the Phoenix intake line on weekday mornings.
Southern Arizona Legal Aid (SALA)
Free civil legal aid for low-income residents of Pima, Santa Cruz, Pinal, Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, Apache and Gila counties and 11 tribal nations, with high priority for crime victims. Apply online or call the Tucson office to schedule an intake.
Bureau of Vital Records
State office that issues certified Arizona birth certificates, needed for an MVD ID card. Order online, by mail to the PO Box, or in person at the Phoenix office on weekdays.
Arizona Identification (ID) Card
How to get a $12 Arizona state ID: start the application at AZMVDNow.gov, then finish at an MVD or authorized third-party office with a birth certificate or passport, your Social Security number and two proofs of Arizona address. Free for people 65 and older and some other groups.
Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) and Health-e-Arizona Plus
Arizona's SNAP program, applied for alongside AHCCCS medical coverage and Cash Assistance through the Health-e-Arizona Plus portal, by mailed paper form, or at a DES Family Assistance office. Emergency food benefits can be decided within seven days; other applications within 30.
National lines that work in Arizona
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.