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

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 El Paso County, Emergence Health Network's 24/7 crisis hotline is 915-779-1800. 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	Emergence Health Network's OSAR: a free screening and a referral to state-funded care	915-242-0555
A sober place to live	TROHN's directory of recovery homes, and Oxford House's live list of Texas houses (details below)	trohn.org
Food, or help applying for SNAP	El Pasoans Fighting Hunger: its Find Food Near You tool and its SNAP coordinators	915-298-0353, ext. 153
A job or training	Workforce Solutions Borderplex career centers	915-887-2600
A Texas ID	Your birth certificate and Social Security card first, then Texas DPS	Steps below
Legal help, or a record sealed	Texas RioGrande Legal Aid	956-996-8752
A doctor without insurance	A community health center; UMC's charity care program	Find a Health Center; 915-521-7900
Counseling	Our guide to free and low-cost therapy in El Paso	EHN, health centers and nonprofit clinics
Help in a crisis	988; EHN's crisis hotline	988; 915-779-1800

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; whether the state helps pay for the treatment itself depends on your income, expenses and other resources, and some people pay part of the cost.

HHSC's OSAR list names Emergence Health Network (EHN), El Paso County's local mental health authority, as the OSAR for El Paso and five nearby counties: Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis and Presidio. EHN says any Texas resident 13 or older can get a free screening and referrals for help with substance use. Call 915-242-0555, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or email [email protected]. After hours, call EHN's crisis hotline, 915-779-1800.

EHN also treats substance use itself, including medication for alcohol and other substance use disorders. For other local programs, such as Aliviane's residential, outpatient and opioid treatment, see free and low-cost rehab in El Paso. 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. On October 27, 2026, Oxford House's own list of Texas houses had no chartered Oxford House in El Paso, so Cima Find Care has none to show there. Its live list shows every Texas house and its openings; the nearest Texas houses on it are in Odessa and Midland (see sober living in Odessa and sober living in Midland). In an Oxford House, 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.
• 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. TROHN's directory of recovery homes includes homes in El Paso; ask each one what it costs, who it's for and what it requires before you move in.
• 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. El Pasoans Fighting Hunger's Get Help page has a Find Food Near You tool, and the food bank says about 100 pantry partners hand out its food for people who can't get to the food bank itself. Call the pantry before you go to confirm its hours. The food bank's main line is 915-298-0353.
• Get help applying for SNAP. The food bank's SNAP coordinators help, free, with new applications and renewals for people in El Paso, Hudspeth and Culberson counties. They can help you get some of the documents you need if you don't have them, and they offer home visits. Call 915-298-0353, ext. 153, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 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 a pending application 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 Borderplex is the public workforce board for El Paso and the area around it. Its services are free to qualified job seekers: a career counselor who works with you one-on-one (call 915-887-2600 to be paired with one), a free career profile on WorkInTexas.com, the state's job-matching site, free online courses through Metrix Learning, and a 16-week paid apprenticeship program.
• Career centers (locations) include the North Loop Center, 8825 N. Loop, Suite 122, open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Northeast Center, 8941 Dyer St.
• Young people and veterans. Its NextForce program offers no-cost services to young people ages 14 to 24 who meet its other rules. Pathways for Heroes covers training of less than six months, such as a commercial driver license, IT or medical assistant courses, for veterans who left the service in the last 48 months and live in the El Paso area.
• 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:

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) gives free civil legal help to people who qualify, with an El Paso office at 1331 Texas Ave. Apply through its hotline, 956-996-8752 (956-996-TRLA), Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; family law applications are taken on Tuesdays and Thursdays only.

• Who qualifies: you need a legal problem TRLA handles, in its service area, and you must meet income, asset and other rules set by federal law and its funders, including immigration status rules. Some projects have their own limits; ask when you call.
• Record clearing: TRLA's reentry team handles expunctions and orders of nondisclosure, corrects wrong criminal records, helps with getting a driver license back and with occupational licenses, and refers people to housing and job training.

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 expunctions and nondisclosures step by step; every county's clerk has its own procedures. A lawyer can tell you which one fits your case: ask TRLA.

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 three in El Paso:

Health center	What to know	Call
Centro San Vicente Several El Paso clinics	A sliding discount by income and family size, based on the federal poverty guidelines, for patients who don't qualify for other programs; renew it every year. A Patient Access Representative helps you register and apply; bring proof of where you live and any insurance card. Lab, X-ray or pharmacy services may cost extra.	915-859-7545
Project Vida Health Center Several El Paso clinics	Uninsured or underinsured patients pay a sliding fee by income, and no one is refused service for inability to pay; renew each year. Bring your last three pay stubs or a letter showing monthly income, birth certificates for dependents 18 and younger, insurance cards for your household and proof of any government assistance. Counseling and psychiatric care are part of its primary care.	See its clinic list
Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe Clinics across El Paso County	Discounts by family size and income, and care regardless of ability to pay. Register as a patient first. Walk-ins are welcome at the Central Clinic, 700 S. Ochoa, and the Yandell Adult Clinic (18 and older), 823 E. Yandell	Walk in, or see its clinics

• University Medical Center of El Paso's charity care program helps uninsured and underinsured people, based on the federal poverty guidelines, household size and where you live. Only El Paso County residents can apply. Call Patient Financial Services, 915-521-7900.
• 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 medication for addiction (MAT) in El Paso and our guide to getting Suboxone in Texas.

For counseling, see our list of sliding-scale and free counseling in El Paso: Emergence Health Network, Centro San Vicente and La Fe, El Paso Child Guidance Center, Family Service of El Paso and NAMI El Paso'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.
• Emergence Health Network's crisis hotline, 915-779-1800 (toll-free 1-877-562-6467): anyone can call, any time of the day or night. Qualified mental health professionals help calm things down and connect you to local help, even if you've never been an EHN client (EHN crisis services).
• In person, any hour: EHN's crisis services are open 24/7 at 1601 E. Yandell. You can walk in and see a mental health professional, and its Extended Observation Unit can keep someone in a mental health crisis for up to 48 hours, until they're stable. For young people, its Mobile Crisis Unit runs 24 hours a day: call 915-779-1800 or 988.
• 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 El Paso, the local NAMI, lists a family support group and a program for family and friends of people with a mental health condition. NAMI's family support groups are free. Call 915-778-5726; its office is open by appointment.
• 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 El Paso: every program, counselor and physician we list, with phone numbers.
• Outpatient programs in El Paso with a sliding fee and outpatient programs in El Paso that take Medicaid.
• Spanish-speaking addiction treatment in El Paso: programs that offer care in Spanish.
• Recovery coaches in El Paso: peer support from someone with lived experience.
• Treatment for people in the justice system in El Paso: 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 San Antonio, recovery resources in Austin, recovery resources in Houston, recovery resources in Dallas and recovery resources in Fort Worth, or recovery resources in Texas for what works statewide.

Questions people ask

Is there sober living in El Paso?

Not through Oxford House: its list of Texas houses had no chartered Oxford House in El Paso on October 27, 2026. TROHN's directory of recovery homes includes homes in El Paso; ask each home what it costs and what it requires. Texas doesn't license sober homes, and accreditation is voluntary.

Where can I get help applying for food stamps in El Paso?

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger's SNAP coordinators help you apply or renew for free, and can come to your home: call 915-298-0353, ext. 153, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 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 El Paso?

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which has an El Paso office, handles expunctions and orders of nondisclosure through its reentry team for people who qualify by income and other rules. Apply through its hotline, 956-996-8752, on a weekday.

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 El Paso?

Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral: the Texas program that screens you for free and refers you to state-funded detox, outpatient or residential treatment. For El Paso and five nearby counties, it's Emergence Health Network: call 915-242-0555 on a weekday, or 915-779-1800 after hours.

Where can I see a doctor without insurance in El Paso?

At a community health center, such as Centro San Vicente, Project Vida or La Fe, which charge by income and can't turn you away because you can't pay. El Paso County residents can also apply for UMC's charity care program: call 915-521-7900.

Can I get help finding a job with a record?

Yes. Workforce Solutions Borderplex's career counselors help with job searches and training at no cost to qualified job seekers: 915-887-2600. 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.

Sources

• Texas HHSC: Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral (OSAR) (Region 10, Emergence Health Network), Adult Substance Use Outpatient Treatment and Texas HHS: Contact (2-1-1 and 877-541-7905)
• Emergence Health Network: Substance Use, MAT for Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders, Crisis, Contact Us and its OSAR resource directory
• Oxford House, Inc. and its list of Texas houses and openings (checked October 27, 2026); TROHN and TROHN: Certification
• HB 299 (2023), adding Health and Safety Code chapter 469, and Texas HHSC: Adult substance use recovery residences
• 18 U.S.C. 220 (EKRA) and Texas Occupations Code chapter 102 (Patient Solicitation Act)
• El Pasoans Fighting Hunger: Get Help and SNAP Program in El Paso
• YourTexasBenefits.com; Texas Works Handbook A-230 (SNAP, felony drug convictions); 1 TAC 372.501; Form H1806
• Workforce Solutions Borderplex: Jobseekers, Locations, NextForce and Pathways for Heroes
• Texas Workforce Commission: Fidelity Bonding and Fidelity Bonding Program at a glance
• Texas DSHS Vital Statistics: Costs and Fees, Requirements for Online Orders and Certification of Homeless Status
• Social Security: Replace your Social Security card and SSA Office of the Inspector General: cards are free
• Texas DPS: Driver License Fees, Texas Residency Requirement, Services and Waivers, Form DL-5 and Form DL-17
• TDCJ: Reentry Program
• Texas RioGrande Legal Aid: Our Services, Offices, Preguntas Frecuentes and Economic & Social Justice
• Texas Code of Criminal Procedure chapter 55A (expunction); Texas Government Code chapter 411 (orders of nondisclosure, subchapter E-1); Texas Judicial Branch: Orders of Nondisclosure forms
• TexasLawHelp.org: Expunctions vs. nondisclosures, Nondisclosure orders and I need to clear an arrest from my record
• HRSA: Get Health Care, Find a Health Center and Texas Health Center Program awardees (UDS)
• Centro San Vicente: Patient Support Services; Project Vida Health Center: Health Clinics and Behavioral Health; Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe: Registering as a Patient, Central Clinic and Yandell Adult Clinic
• University Medical Center of El Paso: Charity Care and Patient Handbook
• Texas HHSC: Nonemergency Medical Transportation Program; KFF: Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions
• SAMHSA: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 988 Lifeline: Get help and SAMHSA: National Helpline
• Al-Anon Family Groups: FAQ and Find a meeting; NAMI: NAMI El Paso and NAMI: Family Support Group