Last Updated on: May 5, 2026
San Diego, CA has several strong reentry resources for people with criminal records. Below you will find an updated list of all reentry tools, programs and resources. You will find support with housing, employment, legal aid, education, mental health, substance use counseling, and related reentry needs and more.
For statewide help, see our full guide to Reentry Programs in California.
List of Reentry Programs in San Diego, CA
211 San Diego Justice Involved Individuals
Address: Countywide phone and online resource
Phone: 2 1 1
Best For: First stop after release, referrals, housing, food, health care, documents, and emergency help.
What It Offers: 211 San Diego has a post incarceration resource section for justice involved people and families. This is one of the best starting points because it can connect people to housing, food, medical care, mental health help, substance abuse services, legal help, and other local programs.
211 San Diego Reentry How To Guide
Address: Countywide online guide
Phone: 2 1 1
Best For: People who need a simple reentry checklist.
What It Offers: A practical San Diego County reentry guide covering release planning, housing, food, identification, transportation, employment, health care, legal problems, and community support.
San Diego Reentry Roundtable
Address: San Diego County network
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Finding reentry focused organizations, events, and community partners.
What It Offers: A countywide reentry coalition made up of community groups, public agencies, service providers, formerly incarcerated people, and other partners focused on improving reentry in San Diego County.
San Diego Reentry Roundtable Community Organizations and Partners
Address: Online partner directory
Phone: Contact programs directly
Best For: Finding multiple reentry organizations in one place.
What It Offers: A directory of community organizations that support reentry, employment, sobriety, education, housing, and supportive services for justice involved people.
Second Chance
Address: 6145 Imperial Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114
Phone: 619 234 8888
Best For: Reentry, job readiness, sobriety support, housing support, and life skills.
What It Offers: Second Chance is one of the strongest reentry programs in San Diego County. It helps justice involved adults and youth work toward employment, sobriety, economic stability, and long term self sufficiency.
San Diego Workforce Partnership Reentry Works
Address: San Diego County workforce program
Phone: 619 319 9675
Best For: Job training, jail based career centers, post release employment support, and work readiness.
What It Offers: Reentry Works supports justice involved individuals with employment services, job connections, training, transportation support, housing related support, technology access, and community based referrals.
Center for Employment Opportunities San Diego
Address: San Diego office, confirm current intake location through website
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: People recently released from incarceration who need fast employment support.
What It Offers: CEO helps people coming home from incarceration with immediate paid transitional work, job coaching, job placement, retention support, and long term employment help.
San Diego County Sheriff Reentry Services
Address: 9621 Ridgehaven Court, San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: 858 974 2222
Best For: People leaving San Diego County jail custody or trying to connect with jail based reentry resources.
What It Offers: Reentry services connected to San Diego County detention facilities, including education, vocational programs, wellness, behavioral health support, employment preparation, veterans support, 211 referrals, and Medi Cal enrollment help.
Rise Up Industries
Address: San Diego County area
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: People with gang involvement or serious barriers who need long term mentoring, job training, and support.
What It Offers: A reentry and gang intervention focused organization that helps people rebuild their lives through mentorship, job training, counseling, employment pathways, and supportive community.
Restoring Citizens
Address: San Diego County area
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: People with criminal records who need peer support, reentry navigation, and community connection.
What It Offers: Reentry support, mentoring, advocacy, and help connecting people with local resources after incarceration.
Kitchens for Good
Address: San Diego area, confirm current training location through website
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Culinary job training, employment skills, and people who need a career path.
What It Offers: Culinary apprenticeship and workforce training for people facing barriers to employment, including justice involvement, homelessness, poverty, and other life challenges.
Lived Experiences
Address: 517 Seagaze Drive, Oceanside, CA 92054
Phone: 619 368 3790
Best For: North County support, youth and family support, trauma informed help, laundry, food, and community resources.
What It Offers: A grassroots nonprofit serving San Diego County with community support, free resources, laundry services, food support, youth programs, family support, and lived experience based mentoring.
CAP Alliance San Diego Chapter
Address: San Diego County chapter
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Reentry support, job training, housing assistance, legal aid referrals, and mental health resources.
What It Offers: A reentry support chapter focused on helping formerly incarcerated people transition back into the community through practical support and partner connections.
SBCS
Address: Multiple South Bay and San Diego County locations
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Families, youth, housing support, community services, and crisis help.
What It Offers: Supportive services for families and individuals in South San Diego County, including housing assistance, youth services, community support, and stabilization programs.
Interfaith Community Services
Address: Multiple North County San Diego locations
Phone: 760 489 6380
Best For: Housing, employment, food, veterans, recovery, and basic needs.
What It Offers: A large North County service provider helping people with homelessness, housing, food, employment, behavioral health, veterans support, and recovery services.
Veterans Village of San Diego
Address: 4141 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92110
Phone: 619 393 2000
Best For: Veterans with criminal records, homelessness, addiction, mental health needs, or employment barriers.
What It Offers: Housing, recovery, employment, case management, mental health support, and veteran focused reentry services.
Halfway Houses and Transitional Housing in San Diego County
Housing is often the hardest part of reentry. Many programs have waitlists, rules, eligibility requirements, or background check policies. Before paying any application fee, ask whether felony convictions are automatic denials or reviewed individually.
Also read: Felon Friendly Apartments & Housing: How to Find Housing With a Criminal Record.
Second Chance
Address: 6145 Imperial Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114
Phone: 619 234 8888
Best For: Reentry focused housing support and case management.
What It Offers: Housing related support, behavioral health services, sobriety support, employment help, and wraparound reentry assistance.
San Diego Rescue Mission
Address: 120 Elm Street, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619 687 3720
Best For: Emergency shelter, long term recovery, and people needing structure.
What It Offers: Shelter, meals, recovery programming, case management, faith based support, and longer term programs for people experiencing homelessness.
Father Joe’s Villages
Address: 3350 E Street, San Diego, CA 92102
Phone: 619 446 2100
Best For: Shelter, housing navigation, meals, medical care, and homeless services.
What It Offers: Emergency shelter, meals, health care, housing services, employment services, behavioral health support, and other help for people experiencing homelessness.
Alpha Project
Address: 3737 Fifth Avenue, Suite 203, San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: 619 542 1877
Best For: Shelter, homelessness outreach, work programs, recovery support, and housing services.
What It Offers: Alpha Project helps people experiencing homelessness in San Diego with shelter connections, outreach, work programs, recovery support, housing support, and related services.
PATH San Diego
Address: 1250 Sixth Avenue, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619 810 8600
Best For: Homeless adults, housing navigation, interim housing, and supportive services.
What It Offers: PATH San Diego provides housing focused services, interim housing, case management, outreach, and support for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
Interfaith Community Services
Address: Multiple North County San Diego locations
Phone: 760 489 6380
Best For: North County housing help, shelter referrals, and reentry stabilization.
What It Offers: Housing support, case management, recovery services, employment support, food, and veterans services.
Veterans Village of San Diego
Address: 4141 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92110
Phone: 619 393 2000
Best For: Veterans leaving jail, prison, homelessness, or treatment.
What It Offers: Transitional housing, recovery, mental health support, employment help, and veteran focused case management.
Solutions for Change
Address: 722 W California Avenue, Vista, CA 92083
Phone: 760 941 6545
Best For: Families experiencing homelessness in North County.
What It Offers: Long term housing stability support, employment development, family services, and programs designed to help families move out of homelessness.
Home Start
Address: 5005 Texas Street, Suite 203, San Diego, CA 92108
Phone: 619 692 0727
Best For: Families, young adults, domestic violence survivors, and people needing stabilization.
What It Offers: Housing support, family services, financial assistance programs, behavioral health support, and help for vulnerable families and individuals.
Crisis House
Address: 9550 Cuyamaca Street, Suite 101, Santee, CA 92071
Phone: 619 444 1194
Best For: East County homelessness, domestic violence, and crisis stabilization.
What It Offers: Housing support, emergency services, domestic violence services, case management, and crisis assistance.
Jewish Family Service Safe Parking Program
Address: Multiple safe parking sites in San Diego County
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: People living in vehicles while trying to stabilize.
What It Offers: Safe overnight parking, basic services, case management, benefits help, employment support, and housing navigation.
Dreams for Change
Address: San Diego County programs
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: People living in vehicles, people working but unstable, and people needing financial coaching.
What It Offers: Safe parking, housing focused support, financial wellness services, and help for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
Amikas
Address: San Diego County service area
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Women, children, and female veterans facing homelessness.
What It Offers: Amikas focuses on creative housing solutions for homeless women and children in San Diego County, including advocacy for safer emergency housing options.
Housing Solutions
Start with 211, then contact programs directly. Ask about shelter openings, coordinated entry, transitional housing, sober living, family housing, safe parking, veterans housing, and emergency motel options.
Also read: Felon Friendly Apartments & Housing: How to Find Housing With a Criminal Record.
City of San Diego Homelessness Response Center
Address: 1401 Imperial Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619 880 8810
Best For: People experiencing homelessness in the City of San Diego who need one place to start.
What It Offers: The Homelessness Response Center connects people with housing help, shelter information, legal help, public benefits, health services, and other support.
San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness
Address: San Diego County regional system
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Understanding coordinated entry and homeless service systems.
What It Offers: Regional homelessness data, coordinated entry information, service coordination, and countywide homelessness system resources.
2 1 1 San Diego
Address: Countywide phone and online resource
Phone: 2 1 1
Best For: Housing referrals, shelter referrals, food, health care, and emergency help.
What It Offers: A searchable countywide referral system for housing, shelters, food, medical care, transportation, legal help, and crisis resources.
Father Joe’s Villages
Address: 3350 E Street, San Diego, CA 92102
Phone: 619 446 2100
Best For: Downtown San Diego shelter, meals, medical care, and housing programs.
What It Offers: Shelter, housing navigation, health care, meals, recovery support, employment services, and case management.
Alpha Project
Address: 3737 Fifth Avenue, Suite 203, San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: 619 542 1877
Best For: Shelter, outreach, housing support, recovery support, and work programs.
What It Offers: Emergency shelter, homeless outreach, housing programs, recovery services, work programs, and supportive services for people without stable housing.
PATH San Diego
Address: 1250 Sixth Avenue, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619 810 8600
Best For: Housing navigation and homelessness case management.
What It Offers: Outreach, case management, interim housing, housing help, and support for people trying to move from homelessness into stability.
Community Resource Center
Address: 650 2nd Street, Encinitas, CA 92024
Phone: 760 753 8300
Best For: North County coastal housing help, food, domestic violence services, and crisis support.
What It Offers: Emergency assistance, food, housing support, counseling, domestic violence services, and case management.
Community Through Hope
Address: Chula Vista, CA service area
Phone: Call 2 1 1 San Diego for current referral information
Best For: South Bay residents needing help with homelessness, food, and resource navigation.
What It Offers: Community Through Hope has been listed as a resource for people needing help with housing plans, self sufficiency, food support, and connections to local services in the Chula Vista area.
Brother Benno’s
Address: 3260 Production Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92058
Phone: 760 439 1244
Best For: North County meals, showers, clothing, mail, recovery support, and basic needs.
What It Offers: Meals, hygiene services, clothing, mail services, recovery support, and help for people experiencing homelessness or extreme poverty.
Think Dignity
Address: San Diego area
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Homelessness support, legal clinics, dignity services, and basic needs advocacy.
What It Offers: Programs focused on dignity, legal access, hygiene, storage, and support for people experiencing homelessness.
Emergency Food, Clothing, and Basic Needs
If you need food, hygiene supplies, clothing, diapers, showers, or emergency help, call 211 and then contact the programs below. Also read: Emergency Financial Help for Felons.
Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank
Address: 9850 Distribution Avenue, San Diego, CA 92121
Phone: 858 527 1419
Best For: Emergency food help, groceries, and CalFresh support.
What It Offers: The San Diego Food Bank provides food distributions, pantry connections, nutrition programs, and CalFresh application help for individuals and families facing food insecurity.
Feeding San Diego
Address: 9477 Waples Street, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121
Phone: 858 452 3663
Best For: Food assistance and local food distributions.
What It Offers: Food distribution programs, partner pantries, mobile pantries, and hunger relief services across San Diego County.
Father Joe’s Villages
Address: 3350 E Street, San Diego, CA 92102
Phone: 619 446 2100
Best For: Meals, shelter, showers, medical care, and homeless services.
What It Offers: Daily meals, emergency services, health care, shelter, housing navigation, and other basic needs.
San Diego Rescue Mission
Address: 120 Elm Street, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619 687 3720
Best For: Meals, shelter, recovery, and emergency help.
What It Offers: Meals, shelter, recovery programming, case management, and faith based support.
Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego
Address: Multiple San Diego County programs
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Emergency help, food, immigration related support, shelter support, and family services.
What It Offers: Food, housing related support, refugee and immigrant services, family support, and community assistance.
The Salvation Army San Diego
Address: Multiple San Diego County locations
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Food, emergency help, shelter referrals, clothing, and recovery programs.
What It Offers: Emergency assistance, food programs, thrift store resources, shelters, and recovery support.
Interfaith Community Services
Address: Multiple North County San Diego locations
Phone: 760 489 6380
Best For: Food, showers, housing support, employment support, and recovery.
What It Offers: Food assistance, basic needs, housing help, veterans services, employment support, and recovery programs.
Brother Benno’s
Address: 3260 Production Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92058
Phone: 760 439 1244
Best For: Meals, showers, clothing, and mail services in North County.
What It Offers: Daily meals, showers, clothing, recovery meetings, mail services, and case management support.
Jewish Family Service of San Diego
Address: 8804 Balboa Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: 858 637 3000
Best For: Food, safe parking, family support, transportation help, and case management.
What It Offers: Food assistance, safe parking, family support, older adult services, refugee support, and other community programs.
Community Through Hope
Address: Chula Vista, CA service area
Phone: Call 2 1 1 San Diego for current referral information
Best For: South Bay food and basic needs support.
What It Offers: Food support, basic needs support, outreach, and community referrals for people in the Chula Vista and South Bay area.
Lived Experiences
Address: 517 Seagaze Drive, Oceanside, CA 92054
Phone: 619 368 3790
Best For: North County laundry, food, youth, family, and community support.
What It Offers: Free resources, mobile laundry, food support, community programs, youth support, and family services.
Mama’s Kitchen
Address: 3960 Home Avenue, San Diego, CA 92105
Phone: 619 233 6262
Best For: People with serious illness who need nutrition support.
What It Offers: Medically tailored meals and nutrition support for eligible people with critical health needs.
Free or Low Cost Healthcare and Mental Health Help
Health problems, prescriptions, addiction, mental health, dental care, and Medi Cal enrollment can all affect reentry. Start with 211 or a community health center if you are not sure where to go.
Family Health Centers of San Diego
Address: Multiple San Diego County clinics
Phone: 619 515 2300
Best For: Primary care, mental health, dental care, and low cost medical services.
What It Offers: Medical care, dental care, mental health services, substance use treatment, vision services, pharmacy help, and support for uninsured or low income patients.
San Ysidro Health
Address: Multiple San Diego County clinics
Phone: 619 662 4100
Best For: South Bay and countywide community health care.
What It Offers: Primary care, dental, behavioral health, urgent care, pharmacy, family medicine, and specialty services.
La Maestra Community Health Centers
Address: Multiple San Diego County clinics
Phone: 619 280 4213
Best For: Medical care, dental care, behavioral health, and social services.
What It Offers: Primary care, dental care, behavioral health, pharmacy, social services, and culturally responsive care.
Neighborhood Healthcare
Address: Multiple San Diego and Riverside County clinics
Phone: 833 867 4642
Best For: Primary care, behavioral health, dental, and low income health care.
What It Offers: Medical care, dental care, behavioral health, psychiatry, women’s health, and patient support services.
TrueCare
Address: Multiple North County San Diego clinics
Phone: 760 736 6767
Best For: North County health care, dental, behavioral health, and family medicine.
What It Offers: Primary care, dental care, behavioral health, women’s health, pediatrics, and patient support.
Vista Community Clinic
Address: Multiple North County San Diego clinics
Phone: 844 308 5003
Best For: Medical care, behavioral health, dental care, and community health support.
What It Offers: Primary care, dental care, behavioral health, pediatrics, women’s health, and community programs.
San Diego American Indian Health Center
Address: 2630 First Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: 619 234 2158
Best For: Native American patients and community members needing whole person care.
What It Offers: Medical care, dental care, behavioral health, wellness services, and community health support.
Operation Samahan
Address: Multiple clinic locations in San Diego County
Phone: 844 200 2426
Best For: Low income healthcare, behavioral health, dental care, and family medicine.
What It Offers: Operation Samahan, also known as Opsam Health, provides affordable healthcare services including primary care, dental care, behavioral health, family planning, and community health support.
San Diego County Behavioral Health Services
Address: Countywide behavioral health system
Phone: 888 724 7240
Best For: Mental health, substance use, crisis support, and county referrals.
What It Offers: County behavioral health services, treatment referrals, crisis services, mental health support, and substance use disorder resources.
San Diego Access and Crisis Line
Address: Countywide phone line
Phone: 888 724 7240
Best For: Mental health crisis, substance use crisis, and urgent behavioral health help.
What It Offers: 24 hour crisis support, referrals, suicide prevention support, and behavioral health connection.
San Diego Mobile Crisis Response Team
Address: Countywide mobile crisis response
Phone: 888 724 7240
Best For: Mental health crisis situations where a mobile response may be needed.
What It Offers: Mobile crisis response, de escalation, assessment, and connection to mental health services.
Community Research Foundation
Address: Multiple San Diego County behavioral health programs
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Mental health programs, crisis services, residential support, and outpatient behavioral health.
What It Offers: Behavioral health programs, crisis residential services, outpatient support, case management, and mental health recovery programs.
TURN Behavioral Health Services
Address: Multiple San Diego County programs
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Mental health, substance use, housing support, and case management.
What It Offers: Behavioral health treatment, recovery services, supportive housing programs, outpatient care, and community based support.
Legal Help, Expungement, and Documents
A felony record can affect jobs, housing, licenses, school, and background checks. San Diego County has several record clearing and legal help resources. Always confirm eligibility before filing anything.
San Diego Clean Slate Clinic
Address: South Metro Career Center, 4389 Imperial Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113 and North County Live Well Center, 649 W Mission Avenue, Escondido, CA 92025
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Expungement, felony reductions, early termination of probation, and post conviction legal help.
What It Offers: Free legal help for people seeking expungements, felony reductions to misdemeanors, early termination of probation, and other record clearing options.
San Diego Law Library Clean Up Your Criminal Record
Address: 1105 Front Street, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619 531 3900
Best For: Self help guides, forms, criminal record clearing research, and legal information.
What It Offers: Guides and resources for cleaning up a criminal record, reducing a felony to a misdemeanor, modifying probation, terminating probation, and finding forms.
San Diego County Public Defender Fresh Start
Address: 451 A Street, Suite 900, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619 338 4721
Best For: Criminal record relief information through the Public Defender.
What It Offers: Information about record clearing, felony reductions, sealing records, and related relief. Check the page before applying because availability can change.
San Diego Superior Court Clearing Your Record
Address: San Diego Superior Court locations vary by case
Phone: Contact the court location connected to your case
Best For: Expungement, dismissal petitions, and criminal record cleanup information.
What It Offers: The San Diego Superior Court provides information and forms for people seeking record relief, including misdemeanor and felony petitions for dismissal when eligible.
Legal Aid Society of San Diego
Address: Multiple San Diego County offices
Phone: 877 534 2524
Best For: Civil legal help, housing, benefits, health, consumer issues, and public assistance problems.
What It Offers: Free legal help for eligible low income residents with civil legal problems that can affect reentry stability.
San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program
Address: 707 Broadway, Suite 1400, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619 235 5656
Best For: Low income legal help, family law, housing, domestic violence, and civil legal issues.
What It Offers: Pro bono legal services and referrals for eligible people with civil legal needs.
San Diego Homeless Court Program
Address: San Diego County program
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: People experiencing homelessness who have eligible unresolved infractions or misdemeanor cases.
What It Offers: A problem solving court program that may help eligible homeless individuals resolve certain legal matters while connected to services.
Clear My Record San Diego County
Address: Online legal information resource
Phone: Contact listed agencies directly
Best For: Understanding record clearing options in San Diego County.
What It Offers: County specific record clearing information, Public Defender contact information, Clean Slate Clinic information, and steps for applying.
California DMV Identification Cards
Address: Multiple DMV offices
Phone: 800 777 0133
Best For: Getting a California ID card or driver license.
What It Offers: Identification cards and driver license services, which are often needed for jobs, housing, benefits, banking, and medical care.
San Diego County Birth Certificates
Address: San Diego County Assessor, Recorder, County Clerk offices
Phone: 619 237 0502
Best For: Getting a certified birth certificate or replacing lost ID documents.
What It Offers: San Diego County allows eligible people to request certified birth certificates for births that occurred in San Diego County. This can help with ID, housing applications, employment paperwork, public benefits, and reentry planning.
Employment Help
Getting hired with a felony is easier when you start with programs that understand criminal records, gaps in work history, probation schedules, addiction recovery, homelessness, and transportation barriers.
For a broader job search, use our guide to Jobs For Felons & Companies.
San Diego Workforce Partnership Career Centers
Address: Multiple San Diego County career centers
Phone: 619 319 9675
Best For: Job search, resume help, training referrals, and career support.
What It Offers: Career centers, job search help, training programs, resume assistance, hiring events, and workforce support.
San Diego Workforce Partnership Reentry Works
Address: San Diego County workforce program
Phone: 619 319 9675
Best For: Justice involved job seekers.
What It Offers: Reentry employment services, job placement help, training, support services, jail based career centers, and post release employment connections.
Center for Employment Opportunities San Diego
Address: San Diego office, confirm intake location through website
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Recently released people who need immediate work and job coaching.
What It Offers: Paid transitional work, job coaching, job placement, retention support, and reentry employment services.
Second Chance
Address: 6145 Imperial Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114
Phone: 619 234 8888
Best For: Job readiness, reentry, sobriety, and support services.
What It Offers: Job training, reentry support, life skills, behavioral health help, housing support, and case management.
Kitchens for Good
Address: San Diego area, confirm current training location through website
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Culinary training and people who need a job skill.
What It Offers: Culinary apprenticeship, job training, kitchen skills, employment preparation, and support for people facing barriers.
Goodwill San Diego
Address: Multiple San Diego County locations
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Entry level work, job readiness, retail experience, and employment services.
What It Offers: Job training, employment services, retail job opportunities, skills development, and support for people with employment barriers.
Urban Corps of San Diego County
Address: 3127 Jefferson Street, San Diego, CA 92110
Phone: 619 235 6884
Best For: Young adults who need paid work experience, education, and job skills.
What It Offers: Paid job training, conservation work, education support, career readiness, and pathways for young adults.
Able Disabled Advocacy
Address: San Diego area
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: People with disabilities, employment barriers, or long gaps in work history.
What It Offers: Employment support, job readiness, training, placement help, and support for people with barriers to work.
Access Inc
Address: 2612 Daniel Avenue, San Diego, CA 92111
Phone: 619 293 3500
Best For: Youth and adults who need employment, education, and career support.
What It Offers: Workforce development, youth programs, employment help, education support, and job readiness services.
MAAC
Address: Multiple San Diego County locations
Phone: 619 426 3595
Best For: Job training, education, housing support, recovery, and family services.
What It Offers: Workforce development, education, housing, behavioral health, recovery services, and community programs.
Lived Experiences
Address: 517 Seagaze Drive, Oceanside, CA 92054
Phone: 619 368 3790
Best For: North County youth, family, community, and job readiness support.
What It Offers: Community center resources, job training connections, youth programs, family support, food, laundry, and lived experience based support.
Rise Up Industries
Address: San Diego County area
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: People leaving gangs, violence, incarceration, or serious street involvement.
What It Offers: Mentoring, counseling, job training, case management, and employment pathways.
Restoring Citizens
Address: San Diego County area
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: People with criminal records who need peer support and reentry guidance.
What It Offers: Reentry support, peer connection, mentoring, advocacy, and community referrals.
Substance Abuse Help
Many people need treatment, sober living, detox referrals, outpatient counseling, meetings, or recovery support after incarceration. Call 888 724 7240 for county behavioral health help if you do not know where to start.
Second Chance
Address: 6145 Imperial Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114
Phone: 619 234 8888
Best For: Reentry with sobriety support and wraparound services.
What It Offers: Reentry support, behavioral health help, sobriety support, job readiness, housing support, and case management.
McAlister Institute
Address: Multiple San Diego County locations
Phone: 619 442 0277
Best For: Substance abuse treatment, recovery, outpatient programs, and sober support.
What It Offers: Alcohol and drug treatment, outpatient services, residential programs, detox referrals, recovery support, and programs for adults, youth, and families.
San Diego Freedom Ranch
Address: 1777 Buckman Springs Road, Campo, CA 91906
Phone: 619 478 5696
Best For: Men seeking residential drug and alcohol treatment.
What It Offers: San Diego Freedom Ranch is a men’s residential treatment program focused on recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. It offers a structured recovery environment outside the city.
MAAC Recovery Homes
Address: Chula Vista and San Diego County program locations
Phone: Contact through MAAC
Best For: People seeking sober living and residential recovery support.
What It Offers: MAAC provides residential recovery homes, including Casa De Milagros and Nosotros, for people working toward sobriety and a more stable lifestyle.
TURN Behavioral Health Services
Address: Multiple San Diego County programs
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Behavioral health, substance use, mental health, and supportive housing.
What It Offers: Recovery programs, outpatient services, mental health support, case management, and housing related behavioral health services.
Vista Hill
Address: Multiple San Diego County programs
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Behavioral health, substance use treatment, youth and family programs.
What It Offers: Substance use treatment, mental health services, youth programs, family support, and community based treatment.
Community Research Foundation
Address: Multiple San Diego County programs
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Mental health recovery, crisis residential support, and outpatient behavioral health.
What It Offers: Behavioral health treatment, crisis services, residential programs, outpatient care, and recovery support.
Volunteers of America Southwest
Address: San Diego and Southern California programs
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Recovery, housing, veterans services, and community support.
What It Offers: Behavioral health programs, housing support, recovery related services, veterans programs, and community assistance.
Alcoholics Anonymous San Diego
Address: Meetings throughout San Diego County
Phone: 619 265 8762
Best For: Free alcohol recovery meetings and sober support.
What It Offers: AA meetings, sponsor connections, peer support, and recovery community.
Narcotics Anonymous San Diego
Address: Meetings held throughout San Diego County
Phone: 619 584 1007
Best For: Free peer support for drug addiction recovery.
What It Offers: Narcotics Anonymous San Diego offers free in person and virtual recovery meetings, meeting schedules, and phone support for people trying to stop using drugs.
Family, Youth, and Community Support
Reentry affects the whole family. These organizations may help with youth support, family stability, domestic violence, parenting, crisis support, school problems, and community connection.
SBCS
Address: Multiple South Bay and San Diego County locations
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Youth, families, housing support, and crisis help.
What It Offers: Family support, youth services, housing programs, community services, domestic violence support, and stabilization help.
SAY San Diego
Address: 4775 Viewridge Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: 858 565 4148
Best For: Youth, families, school support, prevention, and community services.
What It Offers: Youth programs, family support, school based services, mental health support, and community strengthening programs.
Home Start
Address: 5005 Texas Street, Suite 203, San Diego, CA 92108
Phone: 619 692 0727
Best For: Families, young adults, financial stability, housing support, and crisis help.
What It Offers: Family strengthening, housing support, behavioral health, financial assistance, and support for parents and children.
YMCA Youth and Family Services
Address: San Diego County service area
Phone: Contact through YMCA of San Diego County
Best For: Youth, young adults, families, counseling, family support, and prevention services.
What It Offers: YMCA Youth and Family Services provides support for youth and families in San Diego County, including counseling, family support, housing related services, and programs for vulnerable young people.
Urban Street Angels
Address: San Diego area
Phone: Contact through website
Best For: Homeless youth and young adults.
What It Offers: Shelter, outreach, housing support, employment related help, and services for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.
One Safe Place North County Family Justice Center
Address: 1050 Los Vallecitos Boulevard, San Marcos, CA 92069
Phone: 760 290 3690
Best For: Domestic violence, family safety, victim support, and legal service connections.
What It Offers: Family justice services, safety planning, legal referrals, counseling connections, advocacy, and support for people affected by violence.
CARE Center
Address: San Diego County service area
Phone: 619 531 4040
Best For: People needing help connecting to housing, employment, food, mentoring, counseling, and community services.
What It Offers: The CARE Center is a San Diego County District Attorney community resource center that connects youth, adults, and families with community based support services, including employment help, housing assistance, food, counseling, and mentoring.
Jewish Family Service of San Diego
Address: 8804 Balboa Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: 858 637 3000
Best For: Family services, food, transportation, safe parking, and case management.
What It Offers: Family support, food assistance, safe parking, refugee services, older adult services, and community programs.
Lived Experiences
Address: 517 Seagaze Drive, Oceanside, CA 92054
Phone: 619 368 3790
Best For: North County youth, families, trauma informed support, and community connection.
What It Offers: Youth programs, family support, food, laundry, community center services, and lived experience based support.
What Makes a Good Reentry Program?
A strong reentry program should help with real life problems, not just give advice. The best programs usually offer at least some of the following:
- Help getting identification, benefits, food, transportation, or medical care.
- Job readiness, resume help, training, or direct employer connections.
- Housing support or referrals to shelter, sober living, transitional housing, or permanent housing.
- Substance abuse or mental health support.
- Case management from someone who understands reentry barriers.
- Legal help for record clearing, probation issues, warrants, fines, or documents.
- Peer support from people who understand incarceration, addiction, homelessness, or poverty.
- Follow up support after the first appointment.
Tips for Choosing a Reentry Program in San Diego County
Start with your most urgent need first. For most people, that means housing, food, identification, phone access, medical care, probation or parole compliance, and employment.
When you call a program, ask direct questions:
- Do you help people with felony records?
- Do you work with people on probation or parole?
- Do you have current openings?
- Do I need a referral?
- What documents do I need?
- Is there a fee?
- Do you help with transportation?
- Do you offer case management?
- Can you help if I am homeless?
- Can you help if I have a substance abuse or mental health history?
If the program cannot help, ask for the name and phone number of another program that can. Reentry often takes several calls before you find the right person.
Disclaimer
This page is for general information only. It is not legal advice, employment advice, housing advice, or a guarantee that any program will accept you. Services, eligibility rules, funding, addresses, phone numbers, hours, and program availability can change. Some housing, employment, treatment, or legal programs may have restrictions based on criminal history, supervision status, income, residency, age, gender, family status, veteran status, or current need.
