San Diego East County Resources

For downloadable PDF versions of food resources and general resources click on your community below.
May 2023: we're working on updates! Please stay tuned.

General Resources Food Resources
General Resources Food Resources
General Resources Food Resources
General Resources Food Resources
General Resources Food Resources

Access To Food In Your Neighborhood

For a list of food pantries, also visit the community FOOD RESOURCES pages on this website.

County Assistance and San Diego County Libraries (SDCL)

  • General Relief (GR) provides temporary cash assistance for eligible county residents who have no other means of support. Any aid received must be repaid to the County. Completed hours of required Job Training may count toward repayment of the debt.For more information, call 1-866-262-9881
  • The San Diego County Library has 33 locations, including branches in Alpine, Casa de Oro, El Cajon, Fletcher Hills, La Mesa, Lakeside, Lemon Grove, Rancho San Diego, Santee, and Spring Valley. Please visit their website to find locations and hours. 

Shelter & Housing Services

  • East County Transitional Living Center – 1527 East Main St., El Cajon, 92021. Tel: (619) 442-0457.  
  • Home Start, Inc.– 333 E. Main St., El Cajon. Tel: (619) 535-9356. Call for an appointment. Services include programs for pregnant or young mothers who are experiencing homelessness, emergency rental or mortgage assistance, Rapid Re-Housing, Transitional Age Youth (TAY) housing, host homes, and other unsheltered services.
  • Crisis House– 9550 Cuyamaca St., Suite 101, Santee. Tel: (619) 444-1194. Open Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Call for an appointment for more information on housing assistance and domestic violence shelter assistance.
  • San Diego County Rental Assistance– Click Here to apply online or call 2-1-1 for assistance.
  • 2-1-1–  Call for shelter openings throughout San Diego County.

Mental Health Resources

  • Call 988 – Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – Available 24/7

Senior Services and Information

  • SD County Aging & Independence Services— Hotline (800) 339-4661 for assistance. For frequently asked questions, Click here for a pdf. version.
  • Live Well San Diego–Older Californians now have a one-stop shop to answer their non-emergency COVID-19 related questions. Call for assistance, like access to groceries and medication delivery. Call (833) 544-2374
  • Meals on Wheels–Senior Meal Delivery– (619) 447-8782
  • Senior Meals for Pick Up & Delivery–
    Salvation Army-     1011 Main St., El Cajon  (619) 440-4683 10:00am-12:30pm  Meal delivery for clients only. Call to sign up.
    Mountain Health Community Center–976 Sheridan Way, Campo  (619) 478-2384. Same schedule of congregate meals sites with frozen meals and sides to go. Meal deliveries continue.  Serving Alpine, Descanso, Campo, Pine Valley, Dulzura, Potrero, Boulevard. An emergency pantry is available.
    Jewish Family Services–(858) 637-3000 Call for meal delivery in El Cajon
    Serving Seniors–(619) 337-1425  Serving El Cajon, La Mesa, Spring Valley (site closed), and Lemon Grove meal deliveries.

Financial, Labor & Workforce Assistance

  • California Labor & Workforce Development Agency-–www.labor.ca.gov
  • Small Business Administration–www.sba.gov
  • CSA San Diego- Landlord disputes, rental and housing assistance- 327 Van Houten, El Cajon or call (800) 954-0441. Open Monday-Friday until 4:30 p.m.
  • SDG&E’s bill discount programs at sdge.com/assistance.
  • Helix Water District- Financial assistance programs are available to help customers pay their past due balance. Visit the HWD Bill Payment website or call their Customer Service team at 619-466-0585.
  • EDCO Disposal- EDCO offers a special discount for financially challenged seniors. If you are head-of-household and over the age of 65 with a combined annual income of less than $32,000, EDCO offers a 20% discount to qualified customers. Email application information to csrlg@edcodisposal.com.

Who We Are

We are a community-based volunteer program of Community Action, Service & Advocacy (CASA). We promote collaboration between public, private, and non-profit sectors to discover and action solutions for homelessness in East County.

How This Site Works

On the far left navigation bar, you can find specific pages detailing resources and how to get into contact with assistance services. You may also download PDF versions of available resources by clicking on the buttons above.

For updates and changes, please email theechtf@gmail.com.

Contact Us: theechtf@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The East County Homeless Task Force (ECHTF) maintains the East County Assist website as a community reference. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information, we make no guarantee. Including an organization or service does not imply an endorsement of the organization or service, nor does exclusion imply disapproval. The ECHTF has provided external links to other websites; however, some may refer to information that no longer exists or has been moved to another site. The ECHTF is not responsible for these sites’ content, privacy practices, or security practices.

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