Community & Faith-Based Help

Learn how St. Vincent de Paul rent assistance works through local Councils and Conferences, what documents to prepare and how to request help.

Learn how Catholic Charities financial assistance works, how to find the correct local agency and what to ask about rent, bills, food and housing help.

Need help with a phone bill? Learn about Lifeline discounts, carrier hardship options and church emergency funds that may help prevent suspension.

If you tried to sign up for Salvation Army Angel Tree in Dallas this fall, you may have seen this message: "Applications for 2026 the Angel Tree Program Are Closed." That's what the Salvation Army of North Texas page said when we checked on October 6, 2026. There are still other places to get free toys and holiday food in Dallas, Collin and Tarrant counties this year. Several programs have already posted their 2026 dates. This guide lists them in date order, explains who each

If you're counting on help with Christmas gifts this year, October is the month that matters. Some Salvation Army Angel Tree programs have already closed for 2026, and many Toys for Tots campaigns opened requests on October 1 with deadlines in November. This guide explains how each program works, what documents to gather, and where sign-ups stand in Dallas, Houston, Cincinnati, Seattle and New York City. Dates below come from official program pages or local news reports. Wher

The Salvation Army of Greater Houston says the 2026 Angel Tree season is open, and you have to register at the location that covers your ZIP code. Houston Children's Charity, which runs a big Toys for Tots distribution at the George R. Brown Convention Center, has also opened its 2026 applications, first-come, first-served. This guide shows which Salvation Army location serves your ZIP, what documents to have ready, and how to stack Angel Tree with other free toy and holiday

Most Christmas help in Greater Cincinnati is decided in October, not December. The Salvation Army's neighborhood sign-ups run for just a few days each, St. Vincent de Paul's gift request form is already open, and families who wait until after Thanksgiving often find every list closed. This guide puts the 2026 dates, addresses, phone numbers and document rules in one place so you can register this month. Where a program has not posted 2026 details yet, we say so and tell you w

If you just got a Notice to Vacate or a citation in Dallas County, you need two things at once: legal advice and a plan for the rent. Our North Texas eviction timeline guide covers court deadlines. This page is the money checklist for the same week—who to call for rent, food, and bills while you deal with the papers. Day 1 Checklist Read every page of the notice or citation. Write down the hearing date if one is listed. Call free legal help the same day. Start with Dallas Evi

If Duke Energy or your gas company sent a disconnection notice, or your landlord just handed you eviction papers, the clock is already running. Cincinnati and Hamilton County still have real tools for both problems, but most of them work better if you call the same week the notice arrives. This guide covers how to stop a utility shutoff, how to get on a percentage-of-income plan, and who to call for free eviction help. For food pantries and church-based rent help after you st

When rent is due Friday and you're $400 short, "call a charity" isn't very specific advice. In most cities, there are three different kinds of help, and they work very differently: a church's benevolence fund or a neighborhood mutual aid group a formal charity like St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, or Catholic Charities a government or nonprofit rental assistance program Calling them in the wrong order can cost you days you don't have. Here's how to think about which t

Metro Denver's help for renters and families is split across a few kinds of groups: rent and housing programs like Brothers Redevelopment and Catholic Charities, Energy Outreach Colorado for heating bills, free eviction help from Colorado Legal Services and the Colorado Poverty Law Project, and food from Metro Caring and Food Bank of the Rockies. This guide lists 15 and explains who each one serves. This guide covers the whole metro: Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Dougla

In the Seattle area, emergency help is organized by geography. Hopelink and the Multi-Service Center cover north and south King County, Byrd Barr Place and Solid Ground serve Seattle, and the Housing Justice Project and Northwest Justice Project give free legal help to tenants facing eviction. Food Lifeline, Northwest Harvest, and Emergency Food Network supply the food banks. This guide lists 15 and who each one serves. This guide covers the whole metro: King, Snohomish, and

In Virginia Beach, the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center is the largest faith-based provider, and church pantries do much of the rest: the Potter's House at Virginia Beach United Methodist, the Chapel Pantry at Eastern Shore Chapel, and St. Vincent de Paul conferences at Holy Spirit and other parishes. This guide lists 15 churches and ministries, what each offers, and how to reach it. Dozens of Virginia Beach congregations run food pantries, and a smaller group offers small ple

Across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, most rent and utility help runs through Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County, Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, and Inland SoCal United Way's 2-1-1 line. Tenants facing eviction can get free help from Inland Counties Legal Services and the Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, and FIND Food Bank and Feeding America Riverside San Bernardino supply pantries from the desert to the valley. This guide lists

Intown Atlanta's church-based help is anchored by a few long-running ministries: Emmaus House's Lokey Help Center in Peoplestown, the Midtown Assistance Center, BCM Georgia in Buckhead, DEAM in Decatur, and the Central Outreach & Advocacy Center downtown. This guide lists 15 churches and church-founded ministries and the neighborhoods they serve. Atlanta congregations run pantries, soup kitchens, and help centers, and several church coalitions offer emergency rent and utility

San Diego County's main rent and utility programs run through MAAC, SBCS in the South Bay, Interfaith Community Services and the Community Resource Center in North County, and Jewish Family Service. Free eviction help comes from the Legal Aid Society of San Diego and the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, and the San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego stock local pantries. This guide lists 15 and who each one serves. This guide covers the whole metro, which is all of San

Bay Area help is organized county by county: Catholic Charities in San Francisco and the East Bay, SHELTER, Inc. in Contra Costa, Samaritan House in San Mateo, and Community Action Marin. For eviction notices, the Eviction Defense Collaborative, Bay Area Legal Aid, Centro Legal de la Raza, and the East Bay Community Law Center offer free legal help. Five regional food banks and St. Anthony's in the Tenderloin round out the list of 15. This guide covers the whole metro: San Fr

In Greater Boston, rent and fuel help mostly runs through Metro Housing Boston (which handles RAFT applications for Boston) and the regional community action agencies, including ABCD, Community Teamwork, CAPIC, and NSCAP. Greater Boston Legal Services and Northeast Legal Aid give free help to tenants facing eviction, and the Greater Boston Food Bank and Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline help with food. This guide lists 15. This guide covers the whole metro: Suffolk, Middlese

Most emergency help in the Phoenix area comes from a handful of large providers: St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, and Chicanos Por La Causa for rent and utilities, plus city-based agencies like A New Leaf, Tempe Community Action Agency, and AZCEND in Chandler. Community Legal Services handles eviction cases, and St. Mary's Food Bank and United Food Bank stock pantries across the Valley. This guide lists 15. This guide covers the whole metro: Maricopa County, from Phoe

Greater Philadelphia has nonprofits built around specific problems: UESF for PECO and PGW shutoffs, Community Legal Services and TURN's Philly Tenant Hotline for eviction, and Philabundance and Share Food Program for groceries. This guide lists 15 organizations across the four-state metro and who each one serves. This guide covers the whole metro: Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester counties in So