Charities That Help With Moving Expenses
Which charities and public programs actually pay for a move — and which only sound like they do. National options, California’s CalWORKs Homeless Assistance figures, and what to do if you do not qualify.
Short answer: almost no charity will pay a moving company's invoice for you. What charities and public programs do pay for is the part that usually costs far more than the truck — the security deposit, the last month's rent, back rent that would otherwise end in an eviction, and the utility deposits at the new address. If you live in California and receive CalWORKs, there is also a state program that pays a deposit and last month's rent outright.
This guide separates the programs that exist from the ones people wish existed. Everything below links to the primary source so you can check the current rules yourself before you spend an afternoon on an application.
- Who pays a mover directly
- Essentially no national charity. Budget for the move itself.
- What is actually funded
- Security deposits, last month's rent, rent arrears, utility deposits, short hotel stays
- Best single starting point
- Dial or text 211 — free, 24/7, routes you to the funded programs in your own county
- California-specific
- CalWORKs Homeless Assistance — up to $145 per day of temporary shelter, plus a deposit and last month's rent
- California application form
- CW-42, filed at your county welfare office
National charities and programs that help with moving and housing costs
These operate in every state, but the money is almost always handed out by a local branch with its own budget and its own rules. A "yes" in one county can be a "no" in the next one over, and funds often run dry near the end of the month.
| Program | What it can cover | Who it is for | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 211 (United Way) | Not a fund itself — a referral line into the local rent, deposit, utility and shelter money. In 2023 the network handled 15.3 million requests and made 5.3 million housing connections and 2.8 million utility connections. | Anyone, any state | Dial 211, text your ZIP code, or use 211.org |
| The Salvation Army | Emergency rent and utility assistance, transitional housing, free furniture and household goods | Households in crisis; each corps sets its own criteria | Find your local corps |
| Catholic Charities USA | Rent and deposit assistance, case management, furniture banks. You do not have to be Catholic. | Low-income households | Agency locator |
| St. Vincent de Paul | Rent, deposit and utility help, plus free furniture through local conferences and thrift stores | Varies by parish conference | svdpusa.org |
| Modest Needs | One-time emergency grants aimed at working households who earn slightly too much for public assistance. Money is paid to the creditor or vendor, not to you. | Employed, low-income applicants | modestneeds.org |
| HUD Emergency Solutions Grants and Continuum of Care | Federal rapid re-housing money passed to local agencies. Under the ESG rules this can include the security deposit, first and last month's rent, utility deposits and, unusually, moving costs. | Households who are homeless or at imminent risk | Your local Continuum of Care — find it through HUD Exchange |
| Move For Hunger | Not money. Participating movers collect the unopened food in your pantry on moving day and deliver it to a local food bank instead of you throwing it out. | Anyone moving | moveforhunger.org |
California: the one program that pays the numbers that stop a move
If you receive CalWORKs, or you are eligible for it, California runs a dedicated Homeless Assistance program through the Department of Social Services. It is the clearest, most specific help on this page, and most national "charities that help with moving" articles never mention it.
| Part of the program | What it pays | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary Homeless Assistance | Hotel or motel costs while you look for housing | 16 days of temporary shelter, with exceptions. $85 per day for a family of four or fewer, plus $15 for each additional family member, up to $145 daily. Available once every 12 months, with exceptions. |
| Permanent Homeless Assistance | Security deposit and last month's rent — or two months of arrearages to prevent an eviction | For CalWORKs recipients or CalWORKs-eligible applicants who are homeless or at risk of homelessness |
How to apply: contact your county welfare office and ask for the CW-42, "Statement of Facts — Homeless Assistance." You apply through the county, not through the state.
Source: California Department of Social Services, CalWORKs Homeless Assistance. Amounts and day limits are set by the state and can change — confirm on that page before you file.
Other California routes worth a phone call
- County General Assistance / General Relief. Every California county runs one. Amounts are small and rules are strict, but it is often the fastest emergency cash for a single adult with no children, who does not qualify for CalWORKs.
- Your local Continuum of Care. Large counties — San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, San Diego — run rapid re-housing programs with real deposit budgets. These are the programs most likely to pay a moving cost line item.
- LIHEAP and utility hardship programs. PG&E, SCE and SDG&E all run income-qualified discount and arrearage programs. Clearing a utility balance at the old address often unblocks service at the new one. Our guide to setting up utilities covers the connection order.
- Housing authority deposit programs. Some city housing authorities keep a small revolving deposit fund separate from Section 8. Ask specifically for it by name.
How to actually get an application approved
Caseworkers turn down far more applications for missing paperwork than for income. Five steps, in this order:
- Call 211 before anything else. It is free, it runs 24 hours, and the specialist has a live list of which local funds still have money this month. Write down every organization name they give you.
- Apply to the county before the charity. Public programs have larger budgets and legal timelines. Charities frequently ask whether you applied for county assistance first, and a denial letter from the county is itself useful documentation.
- Get the landlord paperwork in hand. Almost every deposit program needs a signed lease or a written offer stating the address, the move-in date and the exact deposit amount. Without it, your file sits.
- Ask for payment to go to the landlord or utility directly. Most programs will only pay a third party. If you ask for cash, you will be declined. Bring the landlord's W-9 or payee details if you can.
- Apply to two or three sources in parallel. Nothing prohibits this, and partial awards are normal — a $600 grant from one and $900 from another is a common way a deposit gets covered.
Documents to gather once and reuse
- Photo ID, and Social Security cards for everyone in the household
- Proof of all income for the last 30 days — pay stubs, benefit letters, or a written statement if you have no income
- The signed lease or written offer from the new landlord, with the deposit amount on it
- Any three-day notice, pay-or-quit notice or eviction filing
- Recent utility bills and any shut-off notice
- The last two bank statements
- A short written explanation of what changed — a job loss, a medical event, a rent increase. Caseworkers read these.
If you do not qualify, shrink the bill instead
Most households reading this will end up paying for the move themselves. That is a solvable problem — the difference between a carelessly booked move and a carefully booked one is routinely several hundred dollars.
- Move mid-month and mid-week. The last three days of the month and the first two are the most expensive days of the year to hire anyone. A Tuesday on the 14th costs the same crew far less time in traffic and far less demand pressure.
- Pack it yourself, properly. Packing labor is the single largest controllable line on an hourly move. Our guides on how to pack for a move and moving supplies cover what to buy and what not to. Our crews bring three reusable wardrobe boxes at no charge, so hanging clothes are not something you need to buy boxes for.
- Stop paying to move things you do not want. Everything on the truck is billed by the hour it takes to carry. A donation run to a Salvation Army or St. Vincent de Paul thrift store before moving day cuts the bill and gets you a receipt.
- Ask about the discount. We run 15% off your next move for returning clients — worth knowing about if this move is the first of two.
- Read the quote for what it does not include. Long carries, stairs, shuttle trucks and bulky-item fees are where a cheap hourly rate turns into an expensive invoice. Our tipping guide and moving insurance explainer cover the two costs people forget to budget for.
What a move with us actually costs
- Local hourly rate
- $175 per hour for two movers and one truck
- Deposit
- Always required to hold a date. It is applied to your final invoice.
- Payment over time
- Installment financing between $600 and $4,000 is available. The amount is decided by the financing provider after you register, not by us.
- Who shows up
- In-house employees, not day labor or subcontracted crews. A sales specialist quotes the job, a dispatcher schedules it, a lead foreman runs the day.
If the numbers still do not work, say so on the call. A sales specialist can often move the date, cut the crew size, or split the job into a self-pack plus a loading-only crew. That conversation is free and it happens before any deposit.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a charity that will just pay my moving company bill?
Realistically, no. The closest thing is a HUD-funded rapid re-housing program run by your local Continuum of Care — the federal ESG rules do allow moving costs as an eligible expense — but that money is reserved for households who are homeless or about to be. If you are moving by choice, plan to pay for the move and use assistance for the deposit.
What is the fastest route to help?
211, then your county welfare office. County emergency assistance can move within the same week. Grant programs run by national nonprofits take considerably longer, because a volunteer committee reviews each file.
Do I have to be homeless to qualify?
Usually not, but "at risk of homelessness" has to be documentable. A pay-or-quit notice, an eviction filing, a lease that ends on a known date, or a utility shut-off notice all count. A verbal warning from a landlord generally does not.
Can I get help if I work full time?
Yes. Modest Needs exists specifically for working households who earn slightly too much for public assistance. Local Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul conferences also serve working families routinely.
Does any nonprofit provide free movers?
A few local groups do — churches, mutual aid networks and some veteran organizations organize volunteer crews. They are worth asking about for a small apartment. For anything with appliances, a piano or a third-floor walk-up, volunteer help carries real injury and damage risk and no insurance behind it.
What if I am moving out of California?
California's CalWORKs Homeless Assistance only pays for housing inside California. For an interstate move, look at the receiving state's programs and at your local Continuum of Care. Our guides to interstate moving companies and moving to California cover how long-distance pricing works, which is very different from hourly local pricing.
Where can I check the cost of living before I commit to the address?
If the new address is in the Bay Area, our cost of living in San Francisco breakdown is a more honest starting point than a rent listing. Assistance covers a deposit once; rent arrives every month.
Sources: California Department of Social Services, CalWORKs Homeless Assistance; 211 Our Impact (2023 data); HUD Emergency Solutions Grants; The Salvation Army; Modest Needs. Program amounts and eligibility change — verify on the source page before applying.
