Free and state-funded treatment programs

Programs describe themselves in a few different ways, and the words matter.

• No payment accepted. The program does not charge patients at all.
• Sliding fee scale. Your fee is based on income and other factors. At a low income it may be nothing.
• Payment assistance. The program has some help available. You need to ask for the details.

Expect to be asked about your income, household size and where you live. Bring whatever proof you have, such as a pay stub, a benefits letter or an ID with your address.

Many programs will also help you apply for Medicaid while they start your care, because it gives you coverage that follows you if you move to another clinic.

Demand is often higher than the number of open places, so federal rules set an order for programs that receive block grant money.

Pregnant women are first. A funded program must give them preference in admission. If no program has room, the state has to make interim services available within 48 hours of the request, including a referral for prenatal care.

People who inject drugs are the other group named for priority in the federal rules. The grant also targets services for women with dependent children.

If you are pregnant, say so in the first sentence when you call. It changes how fast you are seen. Our page on pregnancy and treatment has more.

Individual programs may have their own intake rules as well, so ask how theirs works.

Being told there is a wait is discouraging, especially when it took a lot to make the call. It is common, and there are ways to shorten it.

• Ask to be put on the list anyway, and ask how you will be contacted.
• Ask what interim services they can offer while you wait.
• Ask if they know of another funded program with an opening.
• Call more than one program.
• Check back often. Places open when other people do not show up.
• Ask about outpatient medication treatment, which may have a shorter wait than a residential bed.

While you wait, carry naloxone and make sure the people around you know where it is. Our guide to naloxone explains how to get it. Call 911 if someone is not breathing or cannot be woken, and call or text 988 for a crisis or thoughts of suicide.

Use the filters on FindTreatment.gov

FindTreatment.gov is SAMHSA’s locator of licensed treatment facilities. After you search by location, open the filters. Under payment options you can select a sliding fee scale, payment assistance, Medicaid or facilities that accept no payment.

Call your state agency

Every state has an agency for substance use services. It knows which local programs it funds and can often tell you where there are openings. Our state resources page lists where to start in each state.

Call the national helpline

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, is free, confidential and answered 24 hours a day in English and Spanish. You can also text your ZIP code to 435748. Tell them you need a program for someone without insurance.

Our own treatment directory is built from the same public records. For the other ways to pay, see treatment with no insurance and the main guide to treatment costs.