St. Joseph County Reentry Help

St. Joseph County's seat is South Bend. Below are the offices and programs people coming home most often need, from reporting to probation or parole to getting an ID, food benefits, a job, and recovery support.

Need help now? Dial 2-1-1 In crisis? Call or text 988 Jobs in St. Joseph County

Start Here: Your First 72 Hours

Report as directed, get an ID, and apply for food and health coverage. Everything else gets easier after these.

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St. Joseph County Probation Department

227 W. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, IN 46601-1802

If you are on probation, report as your officer directs. Tell your officer right away if you change jobs or addresses.

Call 574-235-9565 Directions

St. Joseph County Community Corrections

4161 Lathrop Street, South Bend, IN 46628

Community-based supervision, work release, and home detention for people referred by the courts or coming home from IDOC.

Call (574) 236-2121 Directions

IDOC Parole District South Bend (PD 8): serves St. Joseph County

4650 Old Cleveland Road, South Bend, IN 46628

Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM EST

If you are on state parole, this is your district office. Ask about the district's HIRE coordinator for job placement help.

Call (574) 234-4600 Directions Website

Indiana BMV: Mishawaka BMV Branch

2544 MIRACLE LN Mishawaka, IN 46545-3008

A state ID is the first key to a job, an apartment, and benefits. Ask for the free ID card for voting purposes if you cannot pay.

Call 888-692-6841 Directions Website

Indiana BMV: South Bend BMV Branch

1139 EAST IRELAND ROAD South Bend, IN 46601-2447

A state ID is the first key to a job, an apartment, and benefits. Ask for the free ID card for voting purposes if you cannot pay.

Call 888-692-6841 Directions Website

FSSA Division of Family Resources: St. Joseph County (SNAP, Medicaid, TANF)

3575 Moreau Court, Suite 300, South Bend, IN 46628

Mon–Fri, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Apply online for food assistance and health coverage; local staff will call you for an interview.

Call 800-403-0864 Directions Website

Work

Steady work is one of the strongest protections against going back. These offices help at no cost.

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WorkOne - St. Joseph County

Colfax Place, 220 W. Colfax Ave. (2nd Floor), South Bend, IN 46601

Mon-Thu 8:00 am - 4:30 pm; Fri 10:30 am - 4:30 pm

Free job search help, resumes, training money, and help filing for the Federal Bonding Program.

Call (574) 237-9675 Directions Website

242 fair-chance employers in St. Joseph County

Employers reported to hire people with records, with proof, locations, and how to apply.

Website

Getting hired with a record: your tools

The free Federal Bonding Program, expungement, what employers can ask, and how to talk about your record.

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Legal & Records

Expungement and sealing can open jobs and housing that are closed to you now.

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St. Joseph County Clerk of Courts

101 South Main Street, South Bend, IN 46601

Court records, paying fines and costs, and where expungement petitions for convictions in this county are filed.

Call 574-235-9635 Directions

Indiana Legal Services - South Bend (free civil legal help)

227 South Main Street, Suite 200, South Bend, IN 46601

Free help with housing, benefits, family law, and consumer problems for people with low income. Expungement help line: 1-844-243-8570 (Mon–Thu, 9 AM–1 PM). They do not handle criminal cases.

Call (574) 234-8121 Directions Website

Indiana Legal Help: free expungement forms

Step-by-step forms and a fee-waiver motion if you cannot pay the filing fee.

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Recovery & Housing

Stable, sober housing is where everything else gets built.

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Life Treatment Centers

1402 S. Michigan St., South Bend, IN 46613

Treatment provider approved for Indiana Recovery Works, which can pay for treatment and recovery housing for people with felony-level justice involvement.

Call 574-233-5433 Directions

Take Heart Inc.

1042 W. Western Ave., South Bend, IN 46601

Treatment provider approved for Indiana Recovery Works, which can pay for treatment and recovery housing for people with felony-level justice involvement.

Call 574-345-1652 Directions

Cultivating Life Clinic

3607 S. Main Street, South Bend, IN 46614

Treatment provider approved for Indiana Recovery Works, which can pay for treatment and recovery housing for people with felony-level justice involvement.

Call 574-707-7177 Directions

Dismas House of Indiana

521 S. St. Joseph St., South Bend, IN 46601

Recovery residence approved for Indiana Recovery Works, which can pay for treatment and recovery housing for people with felony-level justice involvement.

Call 574-233-8522 Directions

Upper Room Recovery Community

333 N. Main St., South Bend, IN 46601

Recovery residence approved for Indiana Recovery Works, which can pay for treatment and recovery housing for people with felony-level justice involvement.

Call 574-904-4957 Directions

Indiana Recovery Works: find a provider

State-funded treatment and recovery housing for people with a justice history. Providers in nearby counties can also serve you.

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Food, Rides & Community

Nobody makes it alone. These are the people who show up.

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Transpo (South Bend Public Transportation) (public transit)

Rides for work, appointments, probation, and groceries. Call ahead to schedule.

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Dismas House of Indiana

521 S St. Joseph St, South Bend, IN 46601

Family-style transitional housing where returning citizens live with students and volunteers, with job help and community support. Serves: Men and women returning from incarceration (does not accept sex-offense or arson charges).

Call (574) 233-8522 Directions Website

South Bend Community Re-Entry Center (IDOC)

4650 Old Cleveland Rd, South Bend, IN 46628

Indiana's oldest state work-release center (up to 201 residents) with reentry education. Serves: IDOC inmates within 12 months of release from across northern Indiana.

Call (574) 234-4094 Directions Website

Upper Room Recovery Community

333 N Main St, South Bend, IN

Recovery residence and transitional housing for men and women. Serves: Men and women, including justice-involved (Recovery Works).

Call (574) 904-4957 Directions

Hope Ministries

Transitional housing for men, women and children. Serves: Men, women, children.

Call (574) 235-4150

Indiana 211

Phone Mon–Fri 7 AM–7 PM; in211.org anytime

Free and confidential. One call finds local food, shelter, utility help, and more. You can also text your ZIP code to 898-211.

Call 211 Website

All Indiana reentry programs

Statewide programs for job training, housing, and support after release, including IDOC's HIRE program.

Website

Know Your Rights

In Indiana, you can vote once you are released from incarceration, even while on probation or parole. Register at indianavoters.in.gov.
After a record is expunged, an employer may only ask whether you have a conviction that has NOT been expunged. It is illegal for most employers to refuse to hire you because of an expunged record.
You can ask an Indiana licensing board, before you train, whether your conviction would disqualify you. The fee is no more than $25 and the board must answer within 60 days.

Last verified: September 29, 2026. Listings marked Call to confirm had conflicting information in public sources.

Call ahead to confirm. Offices move and hours change. Broken Champions is not affiliated with the agencies, programs, or employers listed, and nothing on this page is legal advice.

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