Support Valliant Foundation
Help support outreach, resource navigation, research, and services for people experiencing homelessness.
Your support helps us continue our community-based work.
Donate NowHomeless Heartline
Free peer support, supportive listening, and information about social and community resources.
Important: Please Read Before Using the Heartline
The Homeless Heartline is a non-clinical peer-support and resource-navigation service. It is not psychotherapy, mental-health treatment, psychological counseling, medical care, or a substitute for services from a licensed healthcare or mental-health professional.
Heartline volunteers do not diagnose, assess, treat, or provide individualized clinical advice for mental-health or medical conditions. Volunteers may provide supportive listening, general non-clinical coping-skills information, and publicly available information about community resources.
You may ask a volunteer for information about how to locate licensed mental-health professionals, healthcare providers, crisis services, or other community resources.
How the Homeless Heartline Can Help
Connect with a trained volunteer for supportive conversation and information about community resources.
Supportive Peer Conversation
Talk with a trained volunteer who can listen, provide non-clinical peer support, and help you identify possible next steps or resources.
Resource Information
Ask for publicly available information about healthcare, food assistance, housing programs, transportation, and other community services.
General Coping-Skills Information
Volunteers may discuss general, non-clinical coping strategies taught through standardized program training. This is educational peer support, not individualized mental-health treatment.
Scheduled Follow-Ups
When available, a volunteer may arrange a scheduled follow-up to check in, listen, and provide additional resource information.
Trained Volunteers With Program Oversight
Homeless Heartline volunteers complete standardized program training before participating. Training focuses on appropriate peer-support boundaries, supportive listening, general coping-skills education, resource navigation, and recognizing situations that require referral or emergency escalation.
Volunteer With the Homeless Heartline
Interested in peer support and resource navigation? Learn more about volunteering with Valliant Foundation and joining the Homeless Heartline team.
Preferred Community Resources
A starting point for finding medical care, shelter, food, public benefits, mental-health resources, and other services. Contact each organization directly to confirm current hours, eligibility, and availability.
Emergency Medical Care
Call 911 or go to an emergency department for potentially life-threatening medical emergencies.
Call 911 or seek emergency care now for a medical emergency.
Examples of symptoms that may require emergency evaluation include, but are not limited to:
- Chest pain or pressure
- Difficulty breathing
- Possible stroke symptoms
- Sudden severe or rapidly worsening pain
- A sudden extremely severe headache
- Severe abdominal pain
- Severe pain with confusion or altered awareness
- Suicidal thoughts with immediate intent or a plan
UC Davis Medical Center Emergency Department
Hospital emergency department for serious or potentially life-threatening medical conditions.
☎ 800-282-3284 Visit UC Davis Emergency Department WebsiteMercy General Hospital
Dignity Health hospital with an emergency department serving Sacramento.
☎ Hospital: (916) 453-4545 Visit Mercy General HospitalSame-Day & Community Medical Care
For medical concerns that need evaluation but do not appear to be immediately life-threatening.
The Willow Clinic
Free Saturday clinic serving people experiencing homelessness. Patients are seen first-come, first-served regardless of insurance or documentation.
Current posted hours: Saturdays, 9:00 AM–11:30 AM.
☎ (916) 572-4502 Visit Willow ClinicClara’s House
No-cost adult primary-care clinic for eligible uninsured patients. Clara’s House is not an urgent-care clinic and new patients require referral through a partner agency.
Current posted hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.
☎ (916) 448-3976 Learn About Clara’s HouseGeneral Comfort Measures While Waiting for Care
These are general suggestions only and are not a diagnosis or substitute for medical advice.
- Rest an injured or painful area when appropriate.
- Stay hydrated unless a healthcare professional has instructed you to limit fluids.
- Cold packs may help some recent injuries.
- Heat may help some muscle tightness or chronic discomfort.
- Follow all medication labels and professional medical instructions carefully.
Seek professional medical care if symptoms are severe, worsening, unusual, or concerning.
Housing & Shelter
Shelter referrals, coordinated housing resources, and longer-term housing programs.
2-1-1 Sacramento & Yolo County Resources
Call 2-1-1 for housing, shelter, food, and other social-service referrals. The online directory also includes Yolo County housing and shelter resources.
☎ Dial 2-1-1 ☎ (916) 498-1000 Search Yolo & Sacramento Housing ResourcesFourth & Hope Navigation Center
Emergency shelter and services serving people experiencing homelessness in Yolo County. Contact the program directly about current bed availability.
☎ (530) 661-1218 Check Fourth & Hope Shelter InformationFood & Groceries
Free meals, food distributions, and local food assistance.
West Sacramento Mercy Coalition / Recovery Café West Sac
920 Drever St., West Sacramento, CA
Recovery Café West Sac provides a community space and free food for members. Check the organization’s website for current hours and program requirements before visiting.
Visit Mercy Coalition / Recovery CaféYolo Food Bank / West Sacramento Food Resources
Yolo Food Bank and partner agencies operate food distributions throughout Yolo County, including West Sacramento. Distribution locations and schedules may change, so check the current schedule before going.
Find Food in Yolo CountyCrisis, Mental Health & Substance-Use Resources
Connect with trained crisis services and find professional treatment resources.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 can provide crisis support and help connect callers with additional behavioral-health resources.
☎ Call or Text 988 Visit 988 LifelineFind Mental-Health or Substance-Use Treatment
SAMHSA’s treatment locator can help identify mental-health and substance-use treatment services.
Search FindTreatment.govMedi-Cal & CalFresh
Apply for health coverage and food benefits.
Apply for Medi-Cal
Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance can provide information about Medi-Cal applications. You can also apply online through BenefitsCal.
☎ (916) 874-3100- Contact Sacramento County or open BenefitsCal.
- Request or begin a Medi-Cal application.
- Provide the required household and income information.
- Submit any requested verification documents.
- Monitor your mail or online account for notices.
Apply for CalFresh
CalFresh provides eligible households with food benefits through an EBT card. Applications can be started through Sacramento County or BenefitsCal.
☎ (916) 874-3100- Contact Sacramento County or visit BenefitsCal.
- Start a CalFresh application.
- Complete any required interview.
- Submit requested documentation.
- Follow application instructions for your EBT card.
Section 8 & Affordable Housing
Information about Sacramento-area Housing Choice Voucher and affordable-housing waiting lists.
Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency
Contact SHRA for Housing Choice Voucher program information. SHRA warns that official Sacramento waiting lists are posted through SacWaitlist.com.
☎ (916) 440-1390- Check whether an applicable waiting list is open.
- Follow application instructions only through official SHRA/SacWaitlist resources.
- If a waitlist is closed, review other affordable housing options.
- Contact SHRA with program questions.
Sacramento 211 Housing Resource Guide
Search for subsidized housing, emergency shelters, supportive housing, rental assistance, and other housing programs.
☎ Dial 2-1-1 Browse Housing ResourcesLow-Cost or Lifeline Phone Service
Phone-service options for eligible low-income households.
SafeLink Wireless Lifeline
SafeLink participates in the Lifeline program for qualifying customers. Availability and benefits depend on eligibility and location.
☎ Enrollment / Plan Changes: 1-800-723-3546- Visit SafeLink and enter your ZIP code.
- Review available Lifeline enrollment options.
- Complete the application and eligibility verification.
- Follow SafeLink’s instructions regarding service or device delivery.
Need Help Finding Something Else?
Call 211 for additional local social-service referrals, or call or text the Valliant Foundation Homeless Heartline for help locating publicly available resource information.
☎ 211 ☎ Valliant Foundation: (219) 413-2044 Search 211 ResourcesNeed Help Finding a Resource?
Call or text the Valliant Foundation Homeless Heartline to connect with a trained peer-support volunteer who can help locate publicly available community-resource information.