California Chafee Grant for Foster Youth
Grant of up to $5,000 per year for college or vocational training for current and former foster youth under 26. Apply by filing the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and then the one-time Chafee application.
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.
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.
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.
Cast LA 24-Hour Hotline
Los Angeles trafficking survivor organization with a round-the-clock hotline, emergency and transitional shelter, rental assistance, case management, legal services, and youth programs. Call the hotline to begin.
Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Hotline
County-run 24-hour line that connects people facing domestic violence with emergency shelter and support services anywhere in Los Angeles County. Calls are private.
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.
La Casa de las Madres
San Francisco domestic violence agency with 24-hour adult and teen crisis lines, a text support line, emergency shelter, drop-in peer counseling, and permanent supportive housing services.
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.
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.
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.
WEAVE 24-Hour Support Line
Sacramento County's main crisis provider for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking, offering a 24-hour support line, safe shelter, safety planning, free group counseling, and legal services. No proof of address or police report is required.
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.
California Partnership to End Domestic Violence
Statewide coalition that maintains a county-by-county map of California domestic violence programs with their local hotline numbers. It does not provide direct services; use the map or call the National DV Hotline at 800-799-7233 to reach a local program.
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.
Extended Foster Care (AB 12)
Lets California foster youth stay in care from 18 to 21 with case management, housing payments, and Independent Living Program services. Youth who already left care can re-enter before 21 by contacting their former social worker or county child welfare agency.
National lines that work in California
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.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
24/7 confidential help for anyone affected by domestic violence. Advocates connect you to local shelters and legal help.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential treatment referral for substance use and mental health. Finds local programs that take your insurance or none.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 for any mental health or substance use crisis. Available to anyone in any program.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
24/7 confidential hotline for survivors of trafficking and people who suspect it. Connects to vetted local services.