Help after prison or jail in California
We've found 15 places in California for people after prison or jail, mostly in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, and 8 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 (8), food (7) and mental health & counseling (6).
What's different in California
CAL-ID gives eligible people a California ID on their release date if they have a Social Security number and a California license or ID issued before; apply within 13 months of release.
$29 per copy, or free for people who are homeless, with an affidavit signed by a homeless services provider.
The Department of Justice reviews records monthly, back to 1973, and adds a note of relief to eligible arrests and convictions without a petition. It doesn't tell you, so request your record to check. Dismissal or sealing still takes a court petition.
Employers with five or more employees generally can't ask about convictions before a job offer. File a complaint with the Civil Rights Department at 800-884-1684.
A landlord can't refuse everyone with a record. It can't consider arrests that didn't lead to a conviction, sealed or expunged convictions, juvenile records or diversion programs. A denial must be based on a conviction directly related to being a good tenant. Complaints: 800-884-1684.
From our guides, where every fact links to its official source.
Places in California
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.
Homeboy Industries
Los Angeles program for formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people offering free tattoo removal, GED and education classes, substance use referrals, limited legal help, workforce support, and court-mandated classes. Most services start by walking into the office during business hours.
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.
Root & Rebound
Oakland-based legal nonprofit for people with arrest or conviction histories, offering a reentry legal hotline, workshops, and direct legal services on issues like records, housing, and employment barriers.
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.
Community Reentry Services, Division of Rehabilitative Programs
Runs CDCR's pre-release community programs, including the Male and Female Community Reentry Programs, which let eligible people serve the last 60 days to 32 months of a state prison sentence in a community facility with housing, employment, education, and recovery support. Placement is requested through your correctional counselor during annual review.
Anti-Recidivism Coalition
Membership organization for people coming home from incarceration in California, with case management, trauma-informed counseling, housing, education, job training, and mentorship. Fill out the member application online, then attend a weekday orientation at the LA or Sacramento office.
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.