Lansing Local Assistance Programs

This page lists local organizations in Lansing, Michigan that provide free legal help, food and social services. Lansing is the capital of Michigan. Statewide programs are described on the Michigan page.

Legal aid

Legal Services of South Central Michigan provides free legal advice and representation in civil cases to people with low incomes and older adults. Its Lansing office covers Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Livingston and Shiawassee counties, with an emphasis on homelessness prevention, domestic violence prevention and help accessing health care, food and needs-based income programs.¹

Food

Greater Lansing Food Bank has led the fight against hunger in mid-Michigan since 1981. It serves seven counties, including Ingham, and supplies food to local pantries and mobile distributions. Its distribution center sits in Bath, next to Lansing.²

The Cristo Rey Campus of Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton Counties runs a community kitchen, a food pantry and a bread rack. Anyone in need is welcome at the community kitchen, which serves breakfast from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM and lunch from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM on weekdays. The food pantry gives a week of groceries once every 30 days, by appointment.³

Social services

Capital Area Community Services is the community action agency for Ingham, Eaton, Clinton and Shiawassee counties. Its Lansing Service Center offers utility and water assistance, housing help and case management when funding is available. The Lansing address and phone above come from directory listings, not from the CACS site itself, which lists its service centers without street addresses.⁴

The Salvation Army Lansing Corps provides emergency help with rent, utilities and food, plus case management, by appointment. The street address above comes from local resource listings; the phone number and hours come from the Salvation Army site.⁵