Benefits Assistance
In this section, you will find services that are available to help teens and young adults with obtaining benefits and emergency needs assistance in San Diego County.
Search and Filter
Use the tools below to find the benefits assistance resources that fit your unique set of needs.
Access and Crisis Line
The Optum Access and Crisis Line (ACL) has been serving the people of San Diego County since 1997. It receives thousands of calls per month related to suicide prevention, crisis intervention, community resources, mental health referrals, and alcohol and drug support services. Confidential and free of charge, the line is immediately answered 7 days a week, 24 hours a day by Master’s-level and Licensed Clinicians. The counselors average 16 years of clinical experience in a variety of backgrounds, including: emotionally disturbed youth, geriatric social services, nursing, in-home domestic violence intervention, case management, and drug and alcohol abuse. Language interpreter services enable the ACL to assist in 150 languages within seconds.
(888) 724-7240
Areta Crowell BPSR Center
Areta Crowell Wellness Recovery Center’s services are based on the principles of psychosocial rehabilitation, with emphasis on attending to the whole person and re-establishing one’s life as a result of the consequences of mental illness, rather than simply attending to the symptoms of the illness. The services focus on recovery, rehabilitation, and community integration, and are individualized to meet the needs of each client. Clients actively participate in setting service plan goals and are encouraged to involve family and significant others in the recovery plan.
(619) 233-3432
Assistance Dog Special Allowance Program
Provides a $50 monthly payment to eligible persons who use a guide, signal, or service dog to help them with needs related to their physical disabilities.
(916) 657-2628 or (916) 653-7651 (TTY)
Office of Services to the Blind, 744 P Street, MS 8-16-94, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 657-2628
Brother Benno’s Center
Brother Benno’s was started by Harold and Kay Kutler as a Soup Kitchen in downtown Oceanside. They named it after Brother Benno Garrity, a Benedictine monk who was well known for his tireless service to the poor in the Oceanside area. The first meal was served on October 21, 1983; and Brother Benno himself made a big cauldron of soup at his abbey and brought it to the little house that bore his name. For the first few years, those who came to the Kitchen were mainly street people. Now most of our guests are the working poor (parents and children who struggle on a daily basis for their most basic needs), the disabled, and low-income senior citizens. In order to provide these needs, Brother Benno’s has expanded its services beyond food
(760) 439-1244
CalFresh
CalFresh is the new name for the Food Stamp Program in California. It is a federal supplemental nutrition program for low-income families and individuals that meet certain income guidelines. CalFresh benefits help supplement your food budget and allow families and individuals to buy nutritious food.
1 (866) 262-9881
California Indian Legal Services
California Indian Legal Services (CILS) is one of the oldest non-profit law firms devoted exclusively to the cause of Native American rights. Governed by a Board of Trustees selected by California tribes and tribal organizations, CILS has provided free and low-cost legal services to California tribes, tribal organizations and Native American individuals throughout the state for over four decades. Our mission is to protect and advance Indian rights, foster Indian self-determination, and facilitate tribal nation-building.
(800) 743-8941
CalWORKs
CalWORKs is designed to transition people from welfare to work. It provides temporary cash assistance to eligible families with minor children, to move families with children from dependency to self-sufficiency through employment.
1 (866) 262-9881
Catalyst (Full Service Partnership)
Catalyst is an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program. Catalyst provides full service partnership services to Transitional Age Youth (TAY) ages 16 to 25 with a serious mental illness, and who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in San Diego County. This recovery-focused program is also co-located with a consumer-run clubhouse offering a wide range of services designed to help each participant lead a meaning, self-sufficient life.
(858) 300-0460
Catholic Charities: Case Management Services
Emergency Services Case Management provides comprehensive case management services to the homeless population, low income families and single adults. It serves to foster client self-actualization and provide them with the tools and resources to achieve self-sufficiency.
(619) 231-2828 Ext. 101
Catholic Charities: Food Resource Center-College Area
Emergency food assistance and benefit enrollment assistance
(619) 286-1100
Search and Filter
Use the tools below to find the benefits assistance resources that fit your unique set of needs.
The resources and services in this directory are provided by external partners and not by San Diego Center for Children.
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Disclaimer
We do not endorse any specific organization listed nor are we responsible for ensuring the quality of the services listed. Users should always select services at their own discretion. Additionally, this information is subject to change as funding for programs can shift over time, though we do our very best to keep the resource center as up-to-date as possible.