Help after prison or jail in Michigan
We've found 15 places in Michigan for people after prison or jail, mostly in Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing, and 7 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 (9), food (8) and jobs & training (6).
What's different in Michigan
Automatic expungement began April 11, 2023. Misdemeanors can clear after 7 years and felonies after 10, with limits such as no more than 2 felonies. Check your public record with the state's ICHAT tool.
From our guides, where every fact links to its official source.
Places in Michigan
Michigan 211
Free statewide information line that connects anyone in Michigan to local help with housing, food, utility bills, transportation, and clothing. Dial 211 or text your ZIP code to be matched with programs near you.
Offender Success Administration
MDOC's reentry arm. Through regional contracted agencies it helps parolees with housing, basic supplies, job placement and retention, and pairs some parolees with mentors who have completed the system themselves. Planning starts before release through In-Reach.
CAM Detroit (Coordinated Assessment Model)
The single front door to emergency shelter and housing programs for people experiencing homelessness in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. Staff assess your situation by phone or at walk-in access points and refer you to available beds.
Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries
Operates more than ten sites in Detroit and Highland Park offering overnight emergency shelter with meals, showers, and clothing, plus withdrawal management, substance use treatment, transitional housing for men in recovery and women with children, and job training.
Cass Community Social Services
Detroit nonprofit with food programs, affordable housing, health services, job training through its Green Industries, and a warming center. Also hosts a CAM walk-in access point for shelter referrals.
Detroit Recovery Project
Detroit behavioral health agency focused on substance use and co-occurring mental illness, with prevention, treatment, and recovery support services at east and west side offices, a wellness space, and a 24-hour crisis line.
Mel Trotter Ministries
Grand Rapids' largest shelter provider, serving individuals and families with meals, emergency shelter, medical care, permanent housing support, and job training through its Next Step of West Michigan division. First-time guests start with a phone triage call.
Advent House Ministries
Lansing's lead Coordinated Entry agency for Ingham County. Screens unhoused people for shelter and housing referrals, runs a weekend day shelter with meals, provides eviction diversion and rapid rehousing case management, and does street outreach across Ingham, Clinton, and Eaton counties.
Carriage Town Ministries
Flint's emergency shelter since 1950, offering beds, meals, case management, and a resident transitional employment program. Call ahead for a phone screening to learn current bed availability.
Lakeshore Legal Aid
Free civil legal aid for low-income people, older adults, and survivors of domestic and sexual violence in southeast Michigan. Handles protection orders, eviction and subsidized housing, public benefits denials, driver's license restoration, and setting aside adult and juvenile criminal records.
Michigan Legal Help
Statewide self-help website with plain-language guides and court forms for people handling their own legal problems, including clearing criminal records, eviction, family law, and personal protection orders. Its Guide to Legal Help points you to a legal aid office or lawyer.
MI Bridges
Michigan's online portal for applying for food assistance (SNAP), Medicaid, cash assistance, child care, and emergency relief, and for reporting changes on an open case. A help desk supports the website; Medicaid questions go to the beneficiary help line.
Dégagé Ministries
Heartside-neighborhood day center in Grand Rapids with low-cost meals, showers and haircuts, a women's overnight shelter, case management, and an ID program that helps guests get state IDs and vital records needed for jobs and housing.
Michigan Vital Records Office
Issues certified copies of Michigan birth, death, marriage, and divorce records. Order online or by phone through VitalChek, drop an application in the Lansing lobby drop box, or book an in-person appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Michigan State ID Card
A standard Michigan state ID costs $10 and must be issued in person at a Secretary of State office; some residents qualify for a no-fee card. Pre-apply online, then schedule an office visit, which averages about 20 minutes.
National lines that work in Michigan
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.