| What to do if you have a health emergency and don't have insurance | You can call Casa San José (https://www.casasanjose.org/), which has a list of medical providers. You can also look for free or low-cost clinics in your area at https://www.freeclinicspa.org/ . UMPC (https://www.upmc.com/locations/community) also offers community health centers that provide care on a sliding fee scale based on income. |
| What if you are stopped by the police and you don´t have papers | You have the right to remain silent and do not need to answer questions about your immigration status. Never present false documents or lie about your status. Remember that you have the right to legal representation, so you can politely state, “I want to speak to a lawyer.” Have the phone number of a trusted immigration lawyer or organization saved in your phone or written down in case of an emergency. Some resources: the ACLU’s Know Your Rights page offers detailed guidance for various situations, including encounters with law enforcement (https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/stopped-by-police). Consider calling Casa San José's emergency response number (412-736-7167) and the resources offered by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC, https://www.nilc.org/). |
| What to do if you witness or experience sexual abuse | You can contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network(RAINN, https://www.rainn.org/) to get support and counseling. You can also call 412-521-1737, the number for The Legal Services for Immigrants and Internationals department of the Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Pittsburgh (https://www.jfcspgh.org/). You can also contact Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR, https://paar.net/). |
| What to do if you witness or experience violence | Seek support. For immediate danger, call 911. For support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233, https://www.thehotline.org/), the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN, 1-800-656-4673, https://www.rainn.org/), and the Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Pittsburgh (https://www.jfcspgh.org/). If you cannot speak on the phone, you can text “START” to 88788 to connect with the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Consider reaching out to Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh for additional help. |
| What to do if you are experiencing mental health issues | If it is a crisis seek immediate help through the Crisis Services (1-888-796-8226) which is available 24/7 in Allegheny County. You can also access the AHN (https://www.ahn.org/services/psychiatry-mental-health/patient-resources) website for further resources in your area. AHN can help you find doctors in your area that can provide resources. |
| What to do if you suddenly face economic distress | YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh (https://ywcapgh.org/) offers referrals to legal services, financial assistance, and personalized support for individuals experiencing sudden economic distress due to life-changing events or situations. Free Store 15104 (https://www.freestore15104.org/) is located in Braddock, PA, and helps Braddock and nearby residents by providing them with free food and clothes. |
| What to do if you become homeless | Find a local homeless shelter, such as Light of Life Rescue Mission (https://www.lightoflife.org/), Pleasant Valley Emergency Shelter (https://www.ncmin.org/pleasant-valley-mens-shelter/), Womanspace East (https://www.wseinc.org/), Community Human Services (https://www.chscorp.org/), and Mary's Place (https://www.marysplacepgh.org). Also, for useful resources, reach out to organizations like Casa San José (www.casosanjose.org) and the Latino Community Center (https://www.latinocommunitycenter.org/). |
| What to do if you are evicted | Contact Neighborhood Legal Services (https://nlsa.us/) for assistance with evictions. You can also look up temporary housing options through shelters such as the ones addressed in the previous question. |
| What to do if you hit someone in a car accident | Call the police to report the accident (911) and exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver. If needed, contact a lawyer for legal assistance (you can search names at https://lawyers.findlaw.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/, https://www.bestlawyers.com/united-states/pennsylvania/pittsburgh, https://lawyers.law.cornell.edu/lawyers/pennsylvania/pittsburgh). |
| What to do if you need a job | You can visit a job center like PA CareerLink Pittsburgh (https://careerlinkpittsburgh.org/) for help with job searches and applications. You can use online job boards such as Indeed (https://www.indeed.com/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/), and Zip Recruiter (https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/-in-Pittsburgh,PA). You can also access the Allegheny County Services for Immigrants and Internationals which lists many resources where you can find a job (https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Services/Immigrants-and-Internationals/Services-for-Immigrants-and-Internationals). |
| What to do if you need to send money abroad | You can use online money transfer services that are usually fast and charge low fees, such as Wise (https://wise.com/), PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home), Xoom (https://www.xoom.com), Remitly (https://www.remitly.com), Western Union (https://www.westernunion.com), MoneyGram (https://www.moneygram.com/), and Revolut (https://www.revolut.com/). For cash or urgent transfers, you can use in-person services such as Western Union and MoneyGram. Other options are bank wire transfers, although they are expensive and take more time, or go to a USPS (https://www.usps.com/) and use postal money orders. |
| What to do if you need housing | First, be mindful of scams: verify the legitimacy of rental listings and avoid paying before visiting the property. Look for affordable housing programs through the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (https://hacp.org/). You can also search online housing platforms, such as https://www.zillow.com/, https://www.apartments.com, or https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/ You can also look on Facebook groups, such as https://www.facebook.com/groups/214878512490890/. You can also find local nonprofits that help, such as Action Housing (https://actionhousing.org/), and Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh (https://www.ccpgh.org/). |
| What to do if you need a car | Numerous websites can be used to purchase affordable used cars. The list includes CarGurus (www.cargurus.com), AutoTrader (www.autotrader.com), Cars.com (www.cars.com), Carvana (www.carvana.com), Vroom (www.vroom.com), TrueCar (www.truecar.com), eBay Motors (www.ebay.com/motors), Craigslist (www.craigslist.org), and Facebook Marketplace (www.facebook.com/marketplace). I recommend you to be cautious when dealing with individual sellers, as some ads on Facebook and Craigslist may be scams. When buying a used car, consider obtaining a vehicle history report from services like Carfax (https://www.carfax.com/) or Autocheck (https://www.autocheck.com/), which can provide relevant information about the car’s history. |
| How to learn English for free? | If you are a student you can go to Literacy Pittsburgh (https://www.literacypittsburgh.org/free-english-classes/) to get free English classes. If you are not a student, you can visit Goodwill of Southwestern PA's website (https://www.goodwillswpa.org/life-changing-services/education-and-training/esl-classes/ ). The Carnegie Libraries ( https://www.carnegielibrary.org/research-overview/for-language-learners/language-learning-materials-and-online-programs/) also offer free English classes, books, and other resources. |
| How to learn Spanish for free? | The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (https://www.carnegielibrary.org/research-overview/for-language-learners) offers various language learning materials, including books, audio courses, and online resources. With a library card, you can access these materials for free. There are also some free online Spanish classes with native speakers at Meetup (https://www.meetup.com/learn-spanish-in-pittsburgh) and Tandem (https://tandem.net/language-exchange/united-states/pittsburgh). There are online platforms for free too, including Duolingo (https://www.duolingo.com/), Coursera (https://www.coursera.org), and edx (https://www.edx.org/). |
| What to do if you don't have enough money for food | Go to Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (https://pittsburghfoodbank.org/find-food/get-help/) to find a food bank near you. You can also look for community organizations that offer free meals such as the Jubilee Soup Kitchen (https://jubileekitchen.org/get-help/). |
| What to do if you don't have enough clothes for winter | Contact local charities and churches for assistance with clothing: Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh (https://www.ccpgh.org/services/basic-needs-assistance), Free Store Braddock (420 Braddock Ave., Braddock. freestore15104.org), Free Store Wilkinsburg (619 Penn Ave., Wilkinsburg. freestorewilkinsburg.org ), South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM) (5301 Park Ave., Bethel Park). |
| Where can you find affordable clothing | Pittsburgh has several thrift stores offering affordable and second-hand options of excellent quality. These include Red, White & Blue Thrift Store (https://redwhiteandbluethriftstore.com/, with locations at 935 Ohio River Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15202 and 890 Saw Mill Run Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15226), Goodwill Stores (https://www.goodwillswpa.org/, multiple locations), Avalon Exchange (https://avalonexchange.com/, 5858 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217), Thriftique (https://www.ncjwpgh.org/thriftique, 125 51st St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201), St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores (https://svdppitt.org/stores/store-locations-directions/, multiple locations), and Buffalo Exchange (www.buffaloexchange.com, 1214 E Carson St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203). |
| Where can I access educational and fun activities for free? | Pittsburgh’s libraries offer free educational and recreational activities for all ages, including story time and reading programs, free language lessons, science, STEM and coding workshops, arts and crafts, movie screenings, book clubs, and free academic support for students. I suggest you check the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (https://www.carnegielibrary.org/), especially the main branch at 4400 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, and also Sewickley Public Library (https://sewickleylibrary.org/, 500 Thorn St, Sewickley, PA 15143), Cooper-Siegel Community Library (https://www.coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org/, 403 Fox Chapel Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15238), Monroeville Public Library (https://www.monroevillelibrary.org/, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd, Monroeville, PA 15146), Bethel Park Public Library (https://www.bethelparklibrary.org/, 5100 W Library Ave, Bethel Park, PA 15102), and C.C. Mellor Memorial Library (https://ccmellorlibrary.org/, 1 Pennwood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218). |
| Is there a free service to help pay my taxes? | Some libraries in Pittsburgh offer free tax assistance, especially during tax season (January–April). I suggest you check the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (https://www.carnegielibrary.org/, multiple locations), Allegheny County Library Association (https://aclalibraries.org/, multiple locations) , and the Cooper-Siegel Community Library (https://www.coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org/, 403 Fox Chapel Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15238). I suggest you check their websites or call ahead to confirm availability and schedule an appointment. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and AARP Tax-Aide programs provide free help to eligible individuals. |