Human Services & Community Resources

We are partnering with agencies in San Mateo County that provide services and support. Even if you do not think you may benefit from the services below, you may know someone who could, whether it be a friend, a family member, or a neighbor. If you have additional ideas, we would be happy to add to the list below.

San Mateo County Human Services Agency (SMC HSA)

https://www.smcgov.org/hsa
The SMC HSA (650-802-7507) has a myriad of public assistance programs to connect residents to food, health insurance, VA benefits, shelter services, and other essential resources. They also provide education on becoming a foster or adoptive parent, and they offer subsidized employment programs to help residents find and keep a job with local businesses. They have local office locations in Daly City (650-301-8440), South San Francisco (650-877-5608), San Carlos (650-802-6450), Belmont (650-802-6470), Redwood City (650-599-3811), and East Palo Alto (650-363-4175).

Samaritan House

https://samaritanhousesanmateo.org
Samaritan House in San Mateo (650-347-3648) offers food services, children's programs, health and dental services, housing and shelter, and a worker resource center. They are the largest truck-to-table food distributor in San Mateo County and provide hot meals and bags of grcoeries for those facing food insecurity. They provide free clothing through their Kids Closet monthly program, diapers, backpacks in their Back to School program, new bicycles, and Halloween costumes. Professional medical and dental volunteers treat patients with no insurance billing. Their Safe Harbor Shelter offers emergency and short-term housing options. Samaritan House also provides financial coaching and a worker resource center.

Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA)

https://www.corasupport.org
CORA is the only agency in San Mateo County (650-652-0800) solely dedicated to helping those affected by intimate partner abuse. They provide counseling, emergency housing, legal assistance, and services that provide safety, support, and healing. They have a crisis hotline as well as a legal information line that can help give advice and information about criminal and non-criminal abuse cases, restraining orders, child custody, divorce, and more.

24/7 crisis hotline: 800-300-1080
Legal information line: 650-259-1855

Coastside Hope

https://coastsidehope.org
Coastside Hope in El Granada (650-726-9071) offers a food pantry, assistance for emergency needs, free tax preparation services, and immigration services for those seeking permanent residency or citizenship.

Community Resource Center (CRC) of the YMCA

https://www.ymcasf.org/crc
The CRC is in South San Francisco (650-276-4101 ext. 4) and serves families residing in Brisbane, South San Francisco, and San Bruno. They provide food, emergency housing assistance, emergency utility assistance, shelter, and other basic needs. 

StarVista

https://star-vista.org
StarVista in San Carlos (650-591-9623) offers counseling, crisis prevention, youth housing, and early childhood programs for people in the San Mateo County.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

https://www.casaofsanmateo.org
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of San Mateo County (650-517-5840) supports abused and neglected children under the protection of the court and aims to provide a consistent, caring adult who speaks on their behalf and helps them reach their full potential.

Housing Services

San Mateo County Emergency Rental Assistance Program

https://www.smcgov.org/san-mateo-county-emergency-rental-assistance-program
Property owners who have income-eligible renters experiencing a financial hardship due to COVID-19 with past due rent, or renters who have experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19, have past due rent or utilities, and have a household income that is not more than 80% of the area median income are eligible for monetary relief and may qualify regardless of immigration status; no proof of citizenship is required. Visit HousingIsKey.com or call toll free 833-430-2122.

LifeMoves

https://www.lifemoves.org
LifeMoves in Palo Alto (650-853-8672) operates 23 shelter and service sites from Daly City to San Jose including interim shelters, safe parking lots, motel voucher programs, and a drop-in center that provides two meals a day, as well as shower and laundry facilities for families, veterans, and singles. For immediate assistance, 2-1-1 will connect you with the appropriate services based on your current needs. Or visit the drop-in Opportunity Center at 33 Encina Avenue in Palo Alto.

Employment Services

JobTrain

https://www.jobtrainworks.org
JobTrain is in Menlo Park (650-330-6429) and offers free career training programs and certifications in person and over Zoom for individuals over 18 years old and living in the Bay Area. All classes are full-time, Monday through Friday, for 11 weeks. Night classes are 16 weeks. Some career training programs include: Carpentry, Building Maintenance, Culinary Arts, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant, IT Support & Services, and Advanced IT for networks. JobTrain also offers English classes for non-native speakers and digital literacy skills classes.

NOVAworks

https://novaworks.org
NOVAworks has job centers in San Mateo (650-581-0058) and Sunnyvale (408-730-7232) and provides career advice and workshops for jobseekers of Silicon Valley.

Disability & Senior Services

AbilityPath

https://abilitypath.org
AbilityPath, formerly Gatepath and Abilities United, is in Redwood City (650-259-8500) and offers support for children and adults with disabilities as well as their families and caregivers in the San Mateo County. Services for children include kindergarten and handwriting readiness classes, social skills classes, speech and language therapy, and free developmental screenings. Services for adults include community-based day programs, independent living skills, art programs, and job development. The Family Resource Center provides education and resources about early childhood development and offers support groups in both English and Spanish.

Partners & Advocates for Remarkable Children & Adults (PARCA)

https://parca.org
PARCA (650-312-0730) supports children and adults with developmental disabilities. Their Raji House in Burlingame offers childrens' activities as well as overnight stays with licensed staff trained in first aid and CPR. Adult living residences include the Alameda House in Redwood City, the Cedar House in San Carlos, the Horizon Apartments in Belmont, and the Page Mill Court Apartments in Palo Alto; all locations' adult residents receive independent living skills training. The REACH after school program is a unique, inclusive, and integrated child care program

Ombudsman Services of San Mateo County, Inc.

Ombudsmen (650-780-5707) are certified by the state and investigate complaints on behalf of residents at nursing homes and long term care facilities. They make sure that licensed facilities are properly treating residents so that stays are safe, comfortable, and dignified. Residents should have good food and be able to see their doctor when they want.

Conflict Resolution & Legal Services

Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC)

https://www.pcrcweb.org
Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center is an organization in San Mateo (650-513-0330) that can help craft communications with an individual, business, school, government agency, or other organization to help resolve a conflict. Common examples are neighbors disputing over an issue (i.e. tree or fence concerns, noise levels, etc.) or an individual unhappy with a business they contracted to do work.

The Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County

https://www.legalaidsmc.org
The Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County (650-558-0915) provides free civil legal advice, counsel, and representation to low-income people living in San Mateo County.

Pest Management

San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control

https://www.smcmvcd.org
District services include mosquito control, insect and tick identification, rodent inspections, yellow jacket control, and picking up dead birds in public areas or right of ways (i.e. streets and sidewalks).

Please note this is not a comprehensive list of services. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information, but no liability is assumed for any errors, or information that may change.

If you'd like to add an organization to this list, or to notify of corrections, please contact showard@hillsborough.net.