Recovery resources

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

In Houston, much 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 Houston Food Bank helps with food and SNAP applications (832-369-9390). Workforce Solutions helps with jobs and training (1-888-469-5627). Lone Star Legal Aid and Houston Volunteer Lawyers give free legal help to people who qualify. Community health centers charge by income. And the Council on Recovery (713-942-4100) 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 Harris County, the Harris Center's 24/7 crisis line is 713-970-7000. If you or someone you live with could overdose, keep naloxone in the house: see how to get free Narcan in Texas.

Who to call for what

You need	Start here	Contact
Treatment you can't pay for	An OSAR, such as the Council on Recovery: a free screening and a referral to state-funded care	713-942-4100
A sober place to live	Chartered Oxford Houses: sober living homes in Houston on Find Care	Each listing has the house's phone
Food, or help applying for SNAP	Houston Food Bank: its Find Food map and its benefits help line	832-369-9390
A job or training	Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast career offices	1-888-469-5627
A Texas ID	Your birth certificate and Social Security card first, then Texas DPS	Steps below
Legal help, or a record sealed	Lone Star Legal Aid; Houston Volunteer Lawyers	713-652-0077; 713-228-0735
A doctor without insurance	A community health center; Harris Health's Financial Assistance Program	Find a Health Center; 713-566-6509
Counseling	Our guide to free and low-cost therapy in Houston	Sliding-scale clinics and training clinics
Help in a crisis	988; the Harris Center	988; 713-970-7000

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 people whose income qualifies. HHSC's OSAR list names these for the Houston region:

OSAR	What to know	Call
The Council on Recovery 303 Jackson Hill Street, Houston	Helps work out whether you qualify for state-funded treatment or other community help. Its Discovering Choices program is outpatient addiction treatment at no cost for adults 18 and older who meet its income and diagnosis rules.	713-942-4100 (toll-free 855-942-4100)
The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD Harris County	Harris County's public mental health agency. It screens adults for substance use and refers them to detox and outpatient care.	713-970-7000
Gulf Coast Center Galveston and Brazoria counties	Free screening and referral, with virtual screenings by appointment. Referrals range from residential and outpatient treatment to peer recovery coaching.	844-704-1291 or 409-944-4365

Not sure which one covers you? 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 28 chartered Oxford Houses in Houston, with who each house is for, its beds and its phone number: see sober living homes in Houston. 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 Houston Food Bank's Find Food map shows pantries, meal programs and other partners near a ZIP code. Call the pantry before you go to confirm its hours. The food bank's app can also schedule a visit at participating pantries.
Get help applying for SNAP. The food bank's Community Assistance Program helps people apply for SNAP (food benefits), and its navigators also help with Medicaid, CHIP and TANF applications. Call 832-369-9390. 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.

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 Gulf Coast is the public workforce board for Houston and its 13-county region, with career offices across it (find a career office). Basic job search help is free and doesn't require signing up for another program: résumés, interview practice, job fairs and hiring events, and openings posted in WorkInTexas, the state's job-matching system. Training for in-demand jobs can be paid for with scholarships, depending on your eligibility and the funding available. Call 1-888-469-5627.
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
Lone Star Legal Aid 1415 Fannin Street, Houston	Free civil legal help. It doesn't take criminal cases.	Income limits based on the federal poverty guidelines, plus legal status rules. Some special projects serve people with higher incomes.	713-652-0077 or 800-733-8394; apply online
Houston Volunteer Lawyers The Houston Bar Association's pro bono program	Free volunteer lawyers for civil matters, including criminal record expunctions and nondisclosures	For most of its programs, household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines	713-228-0735, or the online intake

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 has steps for clearing a record in Harris County. A lawyer can tell you which one fits your case: ask Houston Volunteer Lawyers.

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 Texas health center data lists these Houston grantees, among others:

Health center	What to know	Call
Legacy Community Health Many Houston-area clinics	Sliding fee for those who qualify; takes Medicaid and CHIP	832-548-5000
El Centro de Corazón East Houston	Sliding fee; takes all Medicaid and CHIP plans	713-660-1880
Healthcare for the Homeless – Houston Caroline Street Clinic, 1934 Caroline Street, and other sites	Primary care, behavioral health and substance use care for people experiencing homelessness. No insurance needed and no co-pay; walk-ins at the Caroline Street Clinic.	713-286-6000

Harris Health's Financial Assistance Program is a discount program, not insurance, for Harris County residents with low income, at the county's public hospitals and clinics. Call 713-566-6509.
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 Houston and our guide to getting Suboxone in Texas.

For counseling, see our list of sliding-scale and free counseling in Houston: the Harris Center, community health centers, university training clinics and NAMI Greater Houston'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.
The Harris Center's crisis line, 713-970-7000 (toll-free 1-866-970-7000), press 1. Its Mobile Crisis Outreach Team can come to you if you're willing to accept help. Its NeuroPsychiatric Center, 1502 Ben Taub Loop, offers psychiatric emergency care 24/7.
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 Greater Houston runs free, peer-led support groups and classes for families of people with a mental health condition. Warmline: 713-970-4483.
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 Houston: every program, counselor and physician we list, with phone numbers.
Outpatient programs in Houston with a sliding fee and outpatient programs that take Medicaid.
Recovery coaches in Houston: peer support from someone with lived experience.
Treatment for people in the justice system in Houston: 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 Dallas 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 Houston?

Cima Find Care lists 28 chartered Oxford Houses in Houston, 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.

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 seal my record in Houston?

Houston Volunteer Lawyers helps people who qualify by income with expunctions and orders of nondisclosure: call 713-228-0735. Lone Star Legal Aid gives free civil legal help to people who qualify. TexasLawHelp.org explains the steps for Harris County.

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?

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 Houston, call the Council on Recovery at 713-942-4100 or the Harris Center at 713-970-7000; in Galveston or Brazoria County, the Gulf Coast Center at 844-704-1291.

Where can I see a doctor without insurance in Houston?

At a community health center, which charges by income and can't turn you away because you can't pay; find one with HRSA's Find a Health Center. Harris County residents with low income can also apply for Harris Health's Financial Assistance Program, 713-566-6509.

Can I get help finding a job with a record?

Yes. Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast's career offices help with job searches, résumés and training, free: 1-888-469-5627. 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.