Legal Aid & Record Relief
Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS)
Brooklyn · Queens
Free court-appointed defense in criminal, family and immigration matters (Brooklyn and Queens), plus civil advocacy, social work, and the Reentry Speaks support group.
Family & Reunification in Queens
Family services cover reunification with children, custody and visitation, parenting classes, family court support and help for relatives who cared for children during a sentence. Many are free and open to the whole family, not only the person coming home.
Tip: if you have an open case with ACS (NYC's child welfare agency), tell your caseworker and your family court attorney about any program you join, since it may count toward your service plan.
Queens has fewer local listings than Manhattan or Brooklyn, so the citywide services below, many of which work by phone, fill much of the gap.
10 services based in Queens, plus 49 citywide
Based in Queens
Housing & Shelter
The Fortune Society
Queens
Full-service reentry hub: housing (emergency to permanent), benefits enrollment, case management, education, employment, outpatient substance use and mental health treatment, family services, HIV/AIDS services and ATI programs. No legal services.
Family & Reunification
Center for Family Representation (CFR)
Manhattan · Bronx · Queens · Staten Island
Free legal and social work help for parents contacted by ACS, aiming to keep children at home; also represents youth 7-17 facing criminal charges.
Education & GED
CUNY Fatherhood Academy
Bronx · Brooklyn · Queens
Free HSE prep or college prep track with tutoring, counseling, parenting seminars, financial incentives and job preparation.
Family & Reunification
Hour Children
Queens
Services for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their families: housing, employment training, case management, mentoring, after-school clubhouse, food pantry, thrift shops.
Housing & Shelter
A Beautiful Heart Ministries
Queens
Supports formerly incarcerated women, girls, and gender-fluid individuals with trauma-informed care, safe housing, employment pathways, and entrepreneurship support. Programs include 'She Writes Her Trauma,' a writing-based healing workshop, and 'When She Comes Home,' which offers care packages and transitional support to women and girls returning from incarceration.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Center for Justice Innovation - Queens Community Justice Center
Queens
Offers alternatives to incarceration, youth programs and social services for people with cases in Queens courts.
Family & Reunification
Community Mediation Services (CMS)
Queens
Provides a network of mediation and conflict resolution programs to individuals, youth, and families in NYC. Visitation/custody and divorce mediation offered on a sliding fee scale. Other services include court diversion programs, therapeutic interventions, specialized educational programs, and school-based services.
Mental Health & Counseling
LIFE Camp, Inc.
Queens
Violence interruption and youth programs in Southeast Queens.
Employment & Job Training
Queens Community House
Queens
Multi-service settlement house with adult education, food pantry, youth and older adult programs.
Citywide services
These serve people from every borough, often by phone, online or at more than one office.
Family & Reunification
NYC HRA - Office of Child Support Services (OCSS)
Citywide
Help with child support orders, license suspensions, lowering or eliminating child support debt owed to the government, paternity, DNA testing, mediation, and free financial counseling.
Healthcare
NYC Health - Doula Care
Citywide
Connects pregnant people and families with doulas who provide non-medical support before, during, and after childbirth. The Citywide Doula Initiative offers free doula and home-visiting support to residents of neighborhoods most affected by COVID-19 and other health disparities.
Family & Reunification
SCO Family of Services
Citywide
Provides services to children, families, and adults, including therapeutic, educational, vocational, and supportive services for young adults on Rikers Island before and after release, Multi-Systemic Therapy for court-involved youth, foster care, early childhood education, and family/community services such as counseling, employment, and substance use treatment.
Family & Reunification
NYC Department of Education (DOE) - Infant and Toddler Programs
Citywide
Offers free or low-cost early childhood education for children ages six weeks to three years old who are not yet eligible for 3-K, including education, health, nutrition, and social services.
Family & Reunification
NYC Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence - Family Justice Centers (FJC)
Citywide
Provides free and confidential legal, counseling, and supportive services for survivors of domestic violence, gender-based violence, elder abuse, and sex trafficking, with immediate assistance regardless of language, immigration, or economic status. Centers operate in all five boroughs.
Housing & Shelter
NYCHA Family Reentry Program
Citywide
Reunites select people leaving prison or jail with family living in qualified NYCHA apartments and provides reentry services and intensive case management.
Family & Reunification
The Child Center of NY
Citywide
Offers counseling, substance use treatment, early childhood mental health and education programs (including Head Start and Early Head Start), and after-school and enrichment programs for youth in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. The Jamaica Family Wellness Center serves court-involved youth, and the Benefits Access program helps families enroll in entitlement benefits and health insurance and get referrals for financial and legal assistance.
Substance Use Recovery
Al-Anon & Alateen - New York City
Citywide
Support groups for family and friends of people with drinking problems.
Benefits & Financial Help
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) - Military Assistance Program (MAP)
Citywide
Provides free immigration legal services to active-duty service members or recent veterans, and their family members, whose legal matters may be complex and require the knowledge of experienced immigration attorneys. Visit the website for full requirements and to request assistance.
Family & Reunification
Black and Pink
Citywide
National network supporting LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive people who are incarcerated, including a pen-pal program.
Education & GED
Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) - Justice Initiatives - Telestory
Citywide
The TeleStory program connects families with loved ones incarcerated in 10 NYS DOCCS facilities through free one-hour video calls. Video calls are available at 13 Brooklyn Public Library branches, where families can also access a range of library resources and support.
Education & GED
Center for Anti-Violence Education
Citywide
Offers Self-Defense and Upstander workshops for women, LGBTQIAGNC people, and anyone at risk from racism and xenophobia. Also provides programs and workshops for young people.