Get Help Now
Start here for local help, community support, and practical next steps in St. Louis.
🛑 EMERGENCY HELP 🛑
If you are in immediate danger or facing an emergency, stop here and get help now. Call 911 for emergencies. Call or text 988 for mental health crisis support. Call 211 if you need urgent help finding local shelter, food, safety, or other essential services. This page is not emergency response.
This page is the front door for residents who need help now. It connects people to trusted local organizations, emergency support, community services, and practical next steps across housing, food, health care, safety, family support, and more. It is designed to make help easier to find and easier to understand
Start With the Type of Help You Need
Choose the category that best matches what you need right now.
Crisis & Safety
Emergency safety, domestic violence support, urgent mental health needs
View Crisis Help
Mental Health & Substance Use
Crisis support, counseling, recovery support, Narcan-related help
View Mental Health Help
Child Care, Youth & Parenting
Child care, youth support, parenting support, crisis services for families
View Family Help
Housing & Shelter
Emergency shelter, housing instability, rent stress, homelessness support
View Housing Help
Health Care & Prescriptions
Clinics, medical care, dental care, medication access
View Health Help
Veterans
Veteran support, housing help, benefits support, local veteran services
View Veteran Help
Food & Family Basics
Food access, diapers, household necessities, family stabilization
View Food Help
Immigration & Citizenship
Immigrant support, refugee services, language help, local navigation
View Immigration Help
Legal Help & Documents
Civil legal aid, paperwork help, IDs, records, document support
View Legal Help
Transportation
Transit help, route support, mobility access, transportation barriers
View Transportation Help
Seniors, Disability & Caregivers
Senior services, disability support, caregiving help, benefits navigation
View Senior & Disability Help
Access Federal Resources
Social Security, Medicare, VA, IRS, student aid, FEMA, passport, EEOC, Title IX
View Federal Help
Most Requested Help
Start With These Community Anchors
These organizations are strong first stops because they either connect people to many other services or provide major direct support across multiple categories.
United Way 211
Best for: fast local referrals across housing, food, utilities, child care, and crisis support
Call: 211
Also: 1-800-427-4626
Start With 211
City of St. Louis Help Resources
Best for: official city help pathways across shelter, housing, food, mental health, domestic violence, and youth support
View City Help Resources
Start Here St. Louis Directory
Best for: searchable backup directory of local resources across many categories
Direct-Service Anchor Partners
These organizations provide major direct support across some of the district’s most common areas of need.
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Housing, homelessness, shelter support, employment support. Click here.
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Food access, pantry network, emergency food support Click here.
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Medical and dental care Click here.
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Community clinic access and appointments Click here.
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Primary care and family health services Click here.
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Domestic violence support and crisis assistance Click here.
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Youth and family crisis care Click here.
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Immigrant and refugee support Click here.
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Veteran support, housing navigation, emergency assistance Click here.
HOUSING & SHELTER
If you need help with shelter, housing instability, homelessness, or urgent housing-related support, start here. This section is meant to help people find a first step quickly when housing has become unstable, unsafe, or hard to navigate.
Start here first
Start with 211 or St. Patrick Center if you need quick housing or shelter guidance.
St. Patrick Center’s official pages include contact and get-help pathways for shelter and housing-related support, and United Way 211 is the main regional routing tool for urgent local assistance. (St. Patrick Center)
FOOD & FAMILY BASICS
If you need food, pantry access, household basics, or family stabilization support, this section is a good place to begin. It is designed for people who need fast, practical help meeting immediate daily needs.
Start here first
Start with the St. Louis Foodbank or 211 if food access is urgent.
The Foodbank’s official site has a “Find Food” route and distribution-event calendar, while 211 remains the best general local fallback. (St. Louis Foodbank)
HEALTH CARE & PRESCRIPTIONS
If you need a clinic, primary care, dental care, prescription access, or a place to start with medical support, begin here. This section is for people trying to find practical care access, not just general information.
Start here first
Start with Affinia Healthcare, CareSTL Health, or Family Care Health Centers.
Affinia, CareSTL, and Family Care all maintain official pages for appointments, locations, and contact information. (Affinia Healthcare)
MENTAL HEALTH & SUBSTANCE ABUSE
If you are dealing with a mental health crisis, emotional distress, substance use concerns, or recovery-related support, start here. This section is meant to make the first step clearer when things feel overwhelming or urgent.
Start here first
🛑 If this is a crisis, call or text 988 right now. For local support, start with Behavioral Health Response. 🛑
Missouri’s 988 page and BHR’s local crisis hotline page are the strongest official first-click routes here. (Behavioral Health Response)
LEGAL HELP & DOCUMENTS
If you need civil legal help, document support, help understanding paperwork, or guidance replacing or organizing important records, start here. This section is designed for people who know they have a paperwork or legal-navigation problem but are not sure how to move it forward.
Start here first
Start with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri if the issue may involve civil legal help.
LSEM’s official site and office page provide the clearest first stop for civil legal assistance in eastern Missouri. (Legal Services of Eastern Missouri)
TRANSPORTATION
If transportation is the barrier — getting to work, a clinic, a government office, or another critical appointment — start here. This section is for people who need route help, service information, or a clearer transit starting point.
Start here first
Start with Metro Transit for routes, schedules, customer care, and service guidance.
Metro’s official site includes system information, while its customer care page is the better destination for direct rider support and common service questions. (Metro Transit – Saint Louis)
VETERANS
If you are a veteran or supporting a veteran and need help with housing, benefits, health care, or local support, begin here. This section is meant to connect people to a practical first step before they get lost in multiple systems.
Start here first
Start with Veterans Community Project for local support, or use the federal resources page if the issue is clearly a VA case.
The VCP St. Louis location is publicly accessible, and our own Access Federal Resources page is an available next step when the problem is clearly federal or VA-specific. (Find Help)
IMMIGRATION & CITIZENSHIP
If you need immigrant support, refugee services, or help finding the right starting point for immigration-related questions in St. Louis, begin here. This section is for people who may need a local support hub before they move into a federal USCIS process.
Start here first
Start with the International Institute of St. Louis for local support and navigation.
The International Institute describes itself as the region’s immigrant service and information hub, which makes it the strongest local first step here; USCIS belongs as the federal follow-on link. (iiSTL)
Need Help With a Federal Agency or Benefit System?
Some problems involve Social Security, Medicare, the VA, the IRS, student aid, USCIS, FEMA, passport issues, or other federal systems. Those issues often require a different kind of guidance and a different set of documents.
Social Security
Medicare
VA
IRS
Immigration / USCIS
Student Aid
FEMA
Title IX / EEOC
Not Sure Where to Begin?
If you do not know which category fits your situation, use the form below. This form is for people who are unsure where to start, dealing with multiple overlapping problems, or trying to figure out whether the issue is local, federal, legal, or something else.
We cannot promise a particular outcome, but we can create a clearer starting point.
REQUEST HELP FORM
Important Notice
This page provides public information and navigation support. It is not emergency response, legal advice, medical advice, or a guarantee of services.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988.
If you need urgent local help with shelter, food, safety, or basic needs, call 211.
Help should be easier to find, easier to understand, and closer to the people who need it.
This page is part of a larger district-first philosophy: public leadership should help people find real pathways into support, not leave them alone with confusion and delay.