Help after prison or jail in Utah
We've found 20 places in Utah for people after prison or jail, mostly in Salt Lake City, Ogden and Provo, and 7 that serve the whole state. 1 has been confirmed by a RISEaid volunteer. Most of them help with shelter & housing (9), food (7) and health & medication (6).
What's different in Utah
If you're homeless, a Verification of Homeless Status form meets Utah's residency requirement and waives the ID fee.
Two secondary documents, such as jail or prison papers and a utility bill, can stand in for a photo ID. Homeless people and former foster youth under 26 can get a free copy at any local vital records office in Utah.
Petition-based expungement through BCI and the courts, with waits of 3 to 10 years depending on the offense. A limited Clean Slate process also clears some old misdemeanors and dismissed cases.
Public employers can't screen you out of a first interview over a past conviction, though they may ask during or after it; police, justice-system and child-care employers are among the exceptions. With any private employer, you may answer as though an expunged case never happened.
Clearing your record is one of your strongest tools here. After an expungement, you can generally answer questions as though the case didn't happen.
From our guides, where every fact links to its official source.
Places in Utah
211 Utah
Dial 2-1-1 for referrals to food, housing, utilities, health, and more anywhere in Utah.
Odyssey House of Utah
Adult residential and outpatient substance use treatment in Salt Lake City, including a residential program where parents keep their children with them and a criminal justice track. Free for low-income Salt Lake residents; takes in-network insurance and offers cash rates. Walk-in residential screening weekday mornings.
Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics
Issues certified Utah birth certificates, the first document most people need before a state ID. Order online at secure.utah.gov/vitalrecords, by mail, or in person at the Salt Lake City counter or most local health departments. Every request needs a completed application, the fee, and valid identification.
Utah Adult Probation and Parole
Supervises people on probation and parole in Utah through regional offices. Report to the office that covers the county where you will live. The department's Reentry Team (801-522-7053) helps releasing inmates with birth certificates, Social Security cards, Medicaid, and Workforce Services connections before release.
Utah Legal Services
Free civil legal help for Utahns at or below 125% of the federal poverty line with very limited assets, including domestic violence, housing, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, and family cases. Offices in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, and St. George; apply online or call the Salt Lake intake line. Free interpreters.
Lantern House
Weber County's emergency shelter for men, women, and families, with families housed separately. Anyone needing a bed can come to the building at any time to enroll; general check-in starts at 6:30 PM. Three free meals a day are open to the public. Case management, recovery support, employment help, and family reunification on site. Up to two dogs or cats per household allowed.
Weber Human Services
Public mental health and substance use authority for Weber and Morgan counties. Walk-in mental health, substance use disorder treatment, crisis services, and medical services, with a sliding fee scale based on income and Medicaid accepted.
Catholic Community Services — Ogden
CCS's Ogden programs: the Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank, a grocery-style pantry for the Ogden area, Bridging the Gap mobile groceries for students in Weber and Davis counties, and St. Martha's Baby Project for new mothers. The agency's statewide office in Salt Lake City also runs refugee resettlement and immigration legal services.
Weigand Homeless Resource Center
Daytime drop-in center in downtown Salt Lake City where people experiencing homelessness can get out of the heat or cold. Next door, the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall serves more than 2,000 hot meals a day.
Food & Care Coalition
Provo's day center and transitional housing provider for Utah County. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner 365 days a year with no ID or proof of need; weekday showers, laundry, hygiene kits, and clothing without an appointment; on-site medical and dental through partner clinics; case management toward housing and work.
Wasatch Behavioral Health
Public mental health and substance use authority for Utah and Wasatch counties. Adult services include residential detox, a methadone clinic, and outpatient treatment; therapy for adults, youth, and families. Administration is at the Provo campus on Freedom Boulevard.
Switchpoint Community Resource Center
Washington County's 24/7 emergency shelter for families and individuals, with a community kitchen, individualized case management, job support, mental health services, and 16 family housing units on the St. George campus. Headquarters at 214 N 1000 E Suite B.
Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake
Free lawyers for protective orders and civil stalking injunctions for any domestic violence victim regardless of income, and free family law representation (divorce, custody, guardianship) for low-income people. Cases must be in Salt Lake County.
Utah Community Action
Salt Lake County's community action agency: case management and emergency rental assistance, HEAT utility bill help, workforce development, weatherization, landlord-tenant mediation, and free Head Start for children 0–5. The Road Home sends housing-crisis callers here.
First Step House
Residential and outpatient treatment plus recovery housing for adults in Salt Lake County, built around men with substance use disorders at moderate to high risk of criminal behavior; a record is not required. Also Utah's only transitional housing for homeless veterans of any gender. Most admissions come by referral, but self-referrals are taken; typical wait for a bed is 2–4 weeks.
Davis Behavioral Health
Davis County's public behavioral health provider with clinics in Layton, Bountiful, and Syracuse. Outpatient and intensive outpatient substance use treatment, medication-assisted therapy for opioid use, mental health outpatient and residential care, medication management, a crisis receiving center, and a 24-hour crisis line. Care is available regardless of ability to pay.
Clean Slate Utah
Nonprofit helping Utahns clear criminal records. The Fresh Start Program screens records for free, explains whether a case qualifies for automatic Clean Slate expungement or needs a petition, and offers help with government fees for people who income-qualify. Start with the online intake form; a Spanish site is available.
Utah Department of Workforce Services
Runs Utah's SNAP, Medicaid, financial assistance, and child care programs and the state's employment centers. The fastest way to apply or check a case is the myCase portal at jobs.utah.gov/mycase; employment centers around the state can help in person.
Utah Driver License Division
Issues Utah identification cards and driver licenses. An ID card is $23 and a regular Class D license is $52. Documents must be originals or certified copies; photocopies and hospital birth certificates are not accepted. The division has a separate intake form for homelessness service providers helping clients get an ID.
The Road Home
Salt Lake County's main emergency shelter provider for single men, single women, and families with children. Beds are assigned through the Homeless Services Line, not by walking up. Operates the Pamela Atkinson Resource Center (South Salt Lake), Gail Miller Resource Center (Salt Lake City), and Connie Crosby Family Resource Center (Midvale).
National lines that work in Utah
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.