Support Right Now
If you need help today, start here.
This page is practical. Hotlines first, vetted organizations second. Chicago is prioritized. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
I need food
Food pantries, meal delivery, and community fridges. Chicago-first.
Search all Chicago-area pantries and meal programs by zip code.
Free grocery pickup and delivery across Chicago.
- Chicago
Chicago's community fridge network — take what you need, leave what you can.
Apply for Illinois food assistance (SNAP).
National food bank locator by zip code.
I need housing
Shelter, rent help, and housing counseling.
Emergency shelter, prevention, and rapid rehousing.
Chicago 311 / DFSS Shelter Hotline
ChicagoDial 311 in Chicago for shelter placement 24/7.
Free tenant-rights help for Chicago renters facing eviction.
HUD-approved housing counseling and foreclosure prevention.
211 — Local Housing Help
Dial 211 nationwide for local housing and utility assistance.
I need safety
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. These are confidential support lines.
24/7 confidential support. Text START to 88788.
Chicago-area domestic violence services and referrals.
Culturally rooted DV/dating violence support (native + Black families served).
24/7 confidential support after sexual assault.
24/7 crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ young people. Text START to 678-678.
I need help with my child
Diapers, formula, childcare, and family assistance.
- Chicago
Food, formula, and nutrition support for pregnant people, infants, and young children.
Cook County childcare subsidy and family services.
Chicago-based Black-led postnatal care for new mothers.
I need emotional support
You do not have to be in crisis to ask for help. These lines are free and confidential.
Call or text 988 — 24/7 confidential support.
24/7 free confidential crisis counseling via text.
Black-led mental health resources, healing circles, and directories.
Find a Black woman therapist near you.
Free access to mental health treatment for Black men and men of color.
I need legal help
Free and low-cost legal aid — Chicago-first, national civil-rights partners after.
- Chicago
Cook County free legal aid hotline — housing, family, consumer, employment.
- Chicago
Free civil legal help for low-income Chicagoans.
- Chicago
Expungement, record-sealing, and criminal defense in Chicago.
Civil rights, voting rights, and hate-crime response in Chicago.
National Black civil rights legal representation.
Nonpartisan voter protection hotline.
I need help after incarceration
Reentry support: employment, housing, and legal record relief.
Chicago Black-led reentry employment (Sweet Beginnings, U-Turn Permitted).
Free record-sealing and expungement clinics in Chicago.
- Chicago
Chicago-based reentry services — jobs, education, and support.
- Chicago
Chicago transitional housing and reentry programs.
National Black-led movement for the formerly incarcerated.
Hip Hop Divinity is not a crisis service. We share vetted resources, but we are not a substitute for emergency responders or licensed professionals. If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.