Recovery resources

Recovery resources in Dallas: housing, food, jobs, IDs and legal help

In Dallas, most of the help people in early recovery need beyond treatment is free or low-cost and starts with a phone call. Chartered Oxford Houses offer sober housing. The North Texas Food Bank helps with food and SNAP applications (214-269-0906). Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas helps with jobs and training (214-624-7444). Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas and the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program give free legal help to people who qualify. Community health centers and Parkland Financial Assistance charge by income. And NTBHA's OSAR team (844-275-0600) screens you for state-funded treatment. Below is who to call for what, who qualifies, and what to bring.

Updated October 27, 2026. We checked each organization and phone number on its own website or a state or federal agency's. General information, not medical, legal or insurance advice.

If you need help now: call 911 in an emergency. In a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988, any time. In Dallas County, NTBHA's 24/7 crisis line is 866-260-8000. If you or someone you live with could overdose, keep naloxone in the house: see where to get free Narcan in Texas.

Who to call for what

You need	Start here	Contact
Treatment you can't pay for	NTBHA's OSAR team: a free screening and a referral to state-funded care	844-275-0600
A sober place to live	Chartered Oxford Houses: sober living homes in Dallas on Find Care	Each listing has the house's phone
Food, or help applying for SNAP	North Texas Food Bank: its pantry finder and its SNAP help line	214-269-0906
A job or training	Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas workforce centers	214-624-7444
A Texas ID	Your birth certificate and Social Security card first, then Texas DPS	Steps below
Legal help, or a record sealed	Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas; the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program	888-529-5277; 214-748-1234
A doctor without insurance	A community health center; Parkland Financial Assistance	Find a Health Center; 214-590-8831
Counseling	Our guide to free and low-cost therapy in Dallas	NTBHA, Metrocare, sliding-scale and training clinics
Help in a crisis	988; NTBHA's crisis line	988; 866-260-8000

Free screening and state-funded treatment (OSAR)

Texas pays for drug and alcohol treatment for people who can't afford it. The way in is an OSAR (Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral) program: it screens you for free and refers you to state-funded detox, outpatient or residential care. HHSC says the only requirement for an OSAR is living in Texas; the treatment itself is for adults whose income and resources qualify, and some pay part of the cost. HHSC's OSAR list names these for the Dallas area:

OSAR	What to know	Call
North Texas Behavioral Health Authority (NTBHA) Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro and Rockwall counties	For people with a substance use disorder, or a substance use and a mental health condition together. The team helps you look at your use and refers you to treatment in NTBHA's network: outpatient and intensive outpatient care, withdrawal care (detox), medication for opioid use disorder and residential treatment. Confidential.	844-275-0600, or email [email protected]
LifePath Systems Collin County	Collin County's OSAR on HHSC's list.	972-422-5939
My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County, with Recovery Resource Council Tarrant County	HHSC lists Recovery Resource Council's number for OSAR intake.	817-332-6329

Walking in instead of calling. Homeward Bound, one of the treatment providers in NTBHA's network, does assessments in person at 5300 University Hills Blvd., Dallas, first come, first served, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its main line is 214-941-3500.

Live in another county near Dallas? Call 2-1-1 (877-541-7905) and ask for the OSAR for your county. Who qualifies, who gets in first and what it costs are in our guide to free and state-funded rehab in Texas.

Sober housing

A sober living home (a recovery residence) is shared, alcohol- and drug-free housing with peer support. It isn't treatment, and Texas doesn't license these homes.

Oxford Houses. Cima Find Care lists 39 chartered Oxford Houses in Dallas, with who each house is for, its beds and its phone number: see sober living homes in Dallas. Openings change daily, so each listing links to Oxford House's own live list. The residents run the house and split the bills; Oxford House of Texas puts the usual cost at about $120 to $140 a week, bills paid. There's no set length of stay: you can stay as long as you stay sober, pay your share and follow the house rules.
Other homes set their own rules and rent. Texas accreditation is voluntary (Health and Safety Code chapter 469): ask a home for its TROHN certificate (TROHN is the Texas affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences) and check it with TROHN. Since September 1, 2025, only accredited recovery houses can receive state money.
Get every fee in writing, with receipts. Free rent offered if you go to a particular treatment program is a warning sign: paying or receiving anything of value for referrals to recovery homes or treatment is a federal crime (EKRA, 18 U.S.C. 220), and Texas's Patient Solicitation Act bans it too. You choose your own treatment.
Living in a sober home helps you get an ID. A group home or halfway house can give you a notarized letter confirming your address, which Texas DPS accepts in place of two proofs of residency (see IDs).

How to choose a home, what to ask about medication and drug testing, and your rights under fair housing law: sober living in Texas, explained.

Food and SNAP

Find food today. The North Texas Food Bank's Find a Food Pantry page shows pantries in its partner network near you. Call the pantry before you go to confirm its hours. If you live in Tarrant or Denton County, the food bank points you to the Tarrant Area Food Bank's pantry search instead.
Get help applying for SNAP. The food bank's Social Services Assistance team helps people apply for SNAP (food benefits), and also for Medicaid, TANF and other health and human services programs, at no cost. Its navigators work in Dallas, Collin, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, Rockwall and other North Texas counties, by phone, online or at partner agencies, and a SNAP Mobile team goes to neighborhoods with the most need. Call 214-269-0906, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or email [email protected]. Have ID, Social Security numbers, proof of income and utility bills ready for everyone in your household.
Or apply yourself at YourTexasBenefits.com, the state's site for applying for SNAP, Medicaid and other benefits. You can check your application's status there or by calling 2-1-1.

A drug felony doesn't by itself keep you off SNAP in Texas. The state ended its lifetime ban on September 1, 2015. Under the current rule (Texas Works Handbook A-230 and 1 TAC 372.501), a person with a felony drug conviction from that date on loses SNAP for two years for violating a condition of parole or community supervision, and for good after another felony drug conviction while getting SNAP. Deferred adjudication isn't a conviction for this rule. If the rule applies to you, HHSC checks that you're following your parole or probation conditions when you apply and when you renew, using Form H1806, Parole or Community Supervision Report, when there's no other proof.

Jobs and job training

Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas is the public workforce board for Dallas County, with workforce centers across the county (visit a center), open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its career services are free: job search help, résumés, interview practice, job fairs and hiring events, and a career profile on WorkInTexas.com, the state's job-matching site. The centers also have computers and phones you can use at no cost. Call 214-624-7444.
Training. Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas also has financial aid for training: it helps eligible Dallas County job seekers pay tuition and training costs for pre-selected programs that lead to in-demand jobs on the board's target occupations list. Whether you qualify depends on federal (WIOA) eligibility rules, including income; ask at a workforce center.
Fidelity bonding. The Texas Workforce Commission gives employers a free bond for a new hire's first six months, which covers the employer against theft, forgery or embezzlement by that employee. It's meant for people employers see as a risk, including people with an arrest or conviction record, people with a history of substance use and people on public assistance. You or the employer can ask for it at any Workforce Solutions office. It doesn't cover poor work or injuries. See TWC: Fidelity Bonding.
Your record and job applications. After an expunction, and in most cases after an order of nondisclosure, you generally don't have to list the offense on a job application. See clearing or sealing a record.

IDs and vital records

Housing, jobs, benefits and many clinics ask for ID. If you've lost yours, get the documents in this order:

Birth certificate (born in Texas). Texas DSHS Vital Statistics charges $22 for a certified copy. Ordering online through Texas.gov needs a mailing address that matches your current Texas driver license or ID; if you don't have one, order by mail or in person. Fees aren't refunded, even if the record isn't found. Foster youth and homeless youth (as federal law defines them) get a birth certificate free, with a certification of homeless status, by mail or in person (Health and Safety Code 191.0049).
Social Security card. A replacement card is free from Social Security; don't pay a website to get one. Many adults can request it online with a my Social Security account; otherwise apply with Form SS-5 and one proof of identity. Social Security: 1-800-772-1213. Often you only need to know your number, not the card.
Texas ID card from the Department of Public Safety. It's $16 if you're 59 or younger and $6 at 60 or older, good for six years; a replacement is $11. Bring proof of identity (DPS form DL-17 lists what counts) and two documents that show you live in Texas. If you live in a homeless shelter, a group home or halfway house, or get services from a nonprofit, a government agency or a transitional service provider, someone there can instead give you a notarized letter or DPS form DL-5 confirming the address and that they get mail for you. They don't have to come with you (DPS residency rules).

Fee waivers that exist: a Texas ID is free for foster youth and homeless youth, for victims of family or dating violence and their children, and for veterans with a service-connected disability of 60% or more who meet DPS's rules (DPS services and waivers). We found no fee waiver for other adults.

Leaving prison or state jail? Texas Department of Criminal Justice case managers help eligible people order a replacement Social Security card, a certified birth certificate and a DPS ID before release, and hand them over at release (TDCJ Reentry Program). DPS's list of identity documents includes a TDCJ-issued ID.

Legal help and clearing a record

Organization	Help	Who qualifies	Contact
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas Dallas office, 1515 Main Street, and other Dallas locations	Free civil legal advice and services across 114 counties of North and West Texas. Apply online or by phone.	People and families with low income; its "Am I eligible?" page has the details	Legal Aid Line 888-529-5277; Dallas office 214-748-1234
Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program Run by the Dallas Bar Association and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas	Free volunteer lawyers at neighborhood clinics for family, housing, consumer, bankruptcy, employment and wage claims, guardianships, wills and small estates	Dallas County residents with low income who meet its income and asset guidelines	214-748-1234
Dallas County Expunction Expo The District Attorney and District Clerk	Once a year, volunteer lawyers help applicants who pre-qualify find out whether they're eligible and file the paperwork for an expunction. Applications open in the summer (in 2026, on July 8, online or by phone).	Only Dallas County cases. Convictions and cases that ended in a prison sentence generally don't qualify.	Dallas County District Attorney's Office; watch for the next year's dates

Clearing or sealing a record

Texas has two ways to keep an old arrest or case from following you. Which one fits depends on how the case ended.

	Expunction	Order of nondisclosure
What it does	Clears the arrest from your criminal history record. You generally don't have to mention it on a job application.	Seals the offense from the public. Courts, law enforcement, licensing agencies and some other government agencies can still see it.
Usually for	Arrests that didn't end in a conviction, such as an acquittal or charges that were never filed, and Class C misdemeanor deferred adjudication. A conviction can't be expunged.	Deferred adjudication you completed, and some misdemeanor convictions
The law	Code of Criminal Procedure chapter 55A (since January 1, 2025; it replaced chapter 55)	Government Code chapter 411, subchapter E-1

Waiting periods for nondisclosure (Government Code 411.0725 and 411.0735): after deferred adjudication for a felony, five years from your discharge and dismissal; for a misdemeanor, none or two years, depending on the offense. After a misdemeanor conviction, a Class C can be sealed once you finish your sentence; other misdemeanors wait two years after the sentence ends.
What blocks it (411.074): a new conviction or deferred adjudication during your supervision or waiting period, other than a fine-only traffic ticket, and some offenses, such as those involving family violence, which never qualify.
Veterans treatment court graduates can ask for nondisclosure two years after finishing the program (411.0727), except where the case was for driving while intoxicated.
Immigration: neither an expunction nor a nondisclosure takes away the duty to list the record on immigration forms.

The Texas courts publish model nondisclosure petitions, and TexasLawHelp.org explains how to clear an arrest from your record and lists free expunction and nondisclosure clinics. A lawyer can tell you which one fits your case: ask Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.

Health care on a sliding fee

Community health centers funded by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) see you with or without insurance, charge on a sliding scale by income and family size, and can't turn you away because you can't pay. Find the nearest ones by ZIP code with HRSA's Find a Health Center. HRSA's list of Texas health center grantees includes these in Dallas, among others:

Health center	What to know	Call
Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic Several Dallas locations	Primary care, behavioral health, pediatrics and dentistry, regardless of income, insurance or ability to pay. Uninsured patients pay on a sliding scale set at a first income screening.	214-540-0300
HHM Health (Healing Hands Ministries) Enrollment Center, 5750 Pineland Drive, third floor	Everyone enrolls first, insured or not: walk in Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., no appointment. Your sliding fee is set then, by income and family size, and staff can help you apply for Medicaid.	214-221-0855
Parkland's Homeless Outreach Medical Services (HOMES) Mobile clinics across Dallas County, and at The Bridge and The Stewpot downtown	Health care for children and adults experiencing homelessness: check-ups, shots, STD and HIV screening, care for chronic illness and substance use groups. HRSA helps fund it.	214-590-0153

Parkland Financial Assistance lowers the cost of care at Parkland, Dallas County's public hospital system, for Dallas County residents with income below 250% of the federal poverty level. It isn't insurance. You apply by mail or in person, with proof that you live in Dallas County. Call 214-590-8831, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Medicaid covers children, pregnant women, some parents and caretakers with low income, people with disabilities and people 65 and older. Texas hasn't expanded Medicaid, so many adults without children don't qualify. See how to apply for Texas Medicaid.
Rides: Texas Medicaid covers rides to health care appointments if you have no other way to get there. HHSC's Nonemergency Medical Transportation page explains how to set one up.
Medication for opioid use disorder: see Suboxone doctors and clinics in Dallas and our guide to getting Suboxone in Texas.

For counseling, see our list of sliding-scale and free counseling in Dallas: NTBHA and Metrocare, community health centers, SMU's training clinics and NAMI North Texas's free groups.

Crisis lines

Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: free, private and open 24/7, and you don't have to be suicidal to call. For Spanish, call and press 2. Veterans can press 1.
NTBHA's crisis hotline, 866-260-8000 (or 844-672-5700): 24 hours a day, every day of the year, answered by trained mental health professionals, for Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro and Rockwall counties (NTBHA crisis services).
In person, any hour: the Deflection Center at Homeward Bound, 5300 University Hills Blvd., Dallas, is open 24/7. Police can bring someone in crisis there instead of to jail or a hospital, and you can also walk in on your own.
SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357: free, confidential treatment referrals, 24/7, in English and Spanish.
Call 911 for an overdose or a medical emergency.

For families

Al-Anon is for family and friends of someone who drinks. There are no dues or fees and no sign-up. Find a meeting in person, by phone or online at al-anon.org or by calling 1-888-425-2666.
NAMI North Texas, the local NAMI for Dallas, Collin, Denton and Rockwall counties, runs free, peer-led classes and support groups for people living with a mental health condition and their families. Call 214-341-7133.
Helping someone who isn't ready yet: see how to help an alcoholic, and whether you can make someone go to rehab in Texas.

Treatment and support on Cima Find Care

Cima Find Care is a free directory of addiction treatment in Texas. Cima is never paid for referrals, and you call programs directly (how listings work).

Addiction treatment in Dallas: every program, counselor and physician we list, with phone numbers.
Outpatient programs in Dallas with a sliding fee and outpatient programs in Dallas that take Medicaid.
Recovery coaches in Dallas: peer support from someone with lived experience.
Treatment for people in the justice system in Dallas: programs with services for people involved with the courts.
Find your fit: a few quick questions to narrow the list.

Helping someone in another Texas city? See recovery resources in Houston and recovery resources in San Antonio, or recovery resources in Texas for what works statewide.

Questions people ask

Where can I find sober living in Dallas?

Cima Find Care lists 39 chartered Oxford Houses in Dallas, with each house's phone number and a link to Oxford House's live list of openings. For other homes, ask for a TROHN certificate: Texas doesn't license sober homes, and accreditation is voluntary.

Where can I get help applying for food stamps in Dallas?

The North Texas Food Bank's navigators help you apply for SNAP, Medicaid and TANF for free: call 214-269-0906, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also apply yourself at YourTexasBenefits.com.

Can I get food stamps with a drug felony in Texas?

Usually, yes. Texas ended its lifetime SNAP ban for drug felonies on September 1, 2015. A person with a felony drug conviction from that date on can lose SNAP for two years for violating parole or community supervision, and for good after another felony drug conviction while getting SNAP.

How do I get a Texas ID if I lost everything?

Start with a certified birth certificate ($22 from Texas DSHS) and a free replacement Social Security card, then apply for a Texas ID at DPS ($16, or $6 at 60 or older). If you live in a shelter, a sober home or a halfway house, a notarized letter from it can stand in for two proofs of residency.

Is there free legal help to clear my record in Dallas?

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas gives free civil legal help to people with low income (888-529-5277), and the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program serves Dallas County residents who qualify (214-748-1234). Each summer, the Dallas County District Attorney's Expunction Expo helps people who pre-qualify file for an expunction of a Dallas County case.

How long until I can seal a record in Texas?

It depends on the case. After deferred adjudication for a felony, the wait is five years from your discharge; for a misdemeanor, none or two years. After a misdemeanor conviction, a Class C can be sealed once the sentence is done and others two years later. Some offenses never qualify.

What is an OSAR, and who is it in Dallas?

Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral: the Texas program that screens you for free and refers you to state-funded detox, outpatient or residential treatment. In Dallas County and five nearby counties, call NTBHA's OSAR team at 844-275-0600. In Collin County, it's LifePath Systems, 972-422-5939.

Where can I see a doctor without insurance in Dallas?

At a community health center, such as Los Barrios Unidos or HHM Health, which charge by income and can't turn you away because you can't pay; find more with HRSA's Find a Health Center. Dallas County residents with income below 250% of the poverty level can also apply for Parkland Financial Assistance, 214-590-8831.

Can I get help finding a job with a record?

Yes. Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas's workforce centers help with job searches, résumés and interviews, free: 214-624-7444. The Texas Workforce Commission's fidelity bonding program gives an employer a free six-month bond when it hires someone with a record or a history of substance use.