Community Resources
We cover hard days in people’s lives. This page is here for the person having one. If you or someone you love needs help, start here. Nothing on this page is paid placement.
Substance use & recovery
We treat addiction as a health problem, not a punchline. A possession charge is often a person who needs help, not a headline. If that’s you or someone you love, these are real doors:
- Austin’s Sobering Center — a place to safely sober up instead of a jail cell. Officers can bring someone here at their discretion rather than booking them, and people can walk in on their own. Verify the current address and intake details before you go.
- Integral Care (Travis County’s mental health & substance-use authority) — crisis help, counseling, and treatment referrals, including for people without insurance.
- SAMHSA National Helpline — 1-800-662-4357 — free, confidential, 24/7, in English and Spanish, for substance use and mental health. It refers you to local treatment.
If you are in crisis
- 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text, any time.
- 911 — for an emergency in progress.
Crime victims
If you were the victim of a crime, you have rights and there is help, separate from whatever the accused person’s case is doing. The Travis County District Attorney’s office runs a Victim Services division, and the Texas Crime Victims’ Compensation program can help with certain costs. We can point you in the right direction if you reach out.
Your own record
If a case against you was dropped, dismissed, or is eligible to be sealed, you may be able to get it expunged or nondisclosed. That is also exactly when we update or remove our coverage, for free, no exceptions. See our removals & updates policy.
Books behind bars
The Inside Books Project is an Austin-based volunteer group that sends free books and educational material to people incarcerated in Texas. We think that work matters, and we plan to feature them here regularly. If you run a local nonprofit doing this kind of work, tell us about it through our contact page.