Help in the 806
Second Chance in Lubbock: Jobs, Housing and Clearing Your Record
Free job help, a bond that helps employers hire you, reentry support, free legal clinics and how expunction and nondisclosure work in Texas. Lubbock, TX.
All help guides10 resources, each checked on its official site. Last checked Sept. 29, 2026.
Start here
Check what the public can see. Search your own name on the Texas DPS conviction search before you apply.
See if you can clear or seal it. TexasLawHelp.org has free guides and a Fresh Start tool to check whether you may qualify.
Get free legal help. Call Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas in Lubbock at 806-763-4557, or go to one of its free walk-in clinics listed below.
Go to Workforce Solutions South Plains for free job search help, and ask about a free fidelity bond for employers.
Just released from TDCJ? Call the Reentry Hotline at 877-887-6151.
Jobs
Workforce Solutions South Plains, Lubbock Career Center
Free job search help, workshops, training funds, on-the-job training and hiring events. Computers and phones are free to use. This is also where you ask about the fidelity bond.
- Who qualifies
- Any job seeker. Training funds have their own rules.
- Hours
- Mon. to Fri., 8am to 5pm
- Where
- 2002 W. Loop 289, Suite 117 (Wayland Plaza), Lubbock, TX 79407
Official site: workforcesouthplains.orgLast checked Sept. 29, 2026Texas Workforce Commission Fidelity Bonding
A free six-month bond, a kind of insurance for the employer, that makes it easier for a business to hire someone with a record.
- Who qualifies
- Includes people who have been arrested, are on probation or have a police record. Not for the self-employed.
- Where
- Call first
Official site: twc.texas.govLast checked Sept. 29, 2026TDCJ Website for Work
A free statewide job site where people who were incarcerated build a profile and apply to employers who registered to hire them.
- Where
- Call first
Official site: reentry.tdcj.texas.govLast checked Sept. 29, 2026Goodwill Industries of NorthWest Texas, Career Resource Centers
Free computer skills classes, resume and interview help, and job-readiness seminars in Lubbock.
- Who qualifies
- Open to the public.
- Where
- 6520 University Ave., Suite 11, and 510 N. MLK Blvd., Lubbock
Official site: goodwillnwtexas.orgLast checked Sept. 29, 2026TWC Second Chance page for employers
The state’s page for employers on hiring people with a record, including the bond. Useful to share with a hiring manager.
- Where
- Call first
Official site: twc.texas.govLast checked Sept. 29, 2026
Reentry support
TDCJ Rehabilitation and Reentry Division
Statewide help after release from TDCJ: ID documents, reentry planning, case management and job readiness, plus a reentry resource guide.
- Who qualifies
- People released from TDCJ.
- Where
- Call first
Official site: tdcj.texas.govLast checked Sept. 29, 2026
Clearing or sealing a record
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Lubbock office
Free civil legal help for low-income people. Free walk-in legal clinics in Lubbock at 5pm: Oct. 8 and Nov. 12 at Mae Simmons Community Center, 2004 Oak Ave.; Oct. 13, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8 at St. John’s United Methodist, 1501 University Ave.
- Who qualifies
- Based on income. Intake by phone.
- Hours
- Phone intake Mon. to Fri., 8am to 5pm
- Where
- 1711 Avenue J, Lubbock, TX 79401
Official site: legalaidtx.orgLast checked Sept. 29, 2026ClearPath TX Statewide Expunction Project
Free legal help to clear (expunction) or seal (nondisclosure) eligible records, with monthly virtual clinics. Applications for each month’s clinic are taken the 1st to the 15th.
- Who qualifies
- Legal aid income rules apply, and the record must be eligible under Texas law.
- Where
- Call first
Official site: legalaidtx.orgLast checked Sept. 29, 2026TexasLawHelp.org: Clear or seal your record
Free plain-language guides and forms for expunction and nondisclosure, from Texas legal aid, plus the Fresh Start tool to check if you may qualify.
- Where
- Call first
Official site: texaslawhelp.orgLast checked Sept. 29, 2026Texas DPS Conviction Search
The state site that shows which conviction and deferred adjudication records the public can look up. An account is required.
- Where
- Call first
Official site: publicsite.dps.texas.govLast checked Sept. 29, 2026
What is the difference between expunction and nondisclosure in Texas?
An expunction can permanently remove some arrest and charge records. An order of nondisclosure seals certain offenses from the public, but law enforcement, licensing agencies and some government offices can still see them. Offenses that ended in a conviction or regular probation cannot be expunged, but some may qualify for nondisclosure.
- With an expunction or nondisclosure order, you generally do not have to list that offense on a job application.
- Deferred adjudication still shows on public background checks until it is sealed.
- Some first-time misdemeanors qualify for automatic nondisclosure, but you often have to remind the court.
Can a landlord in Texas turn me down for a record?
Yes, Texas landlords may reject applicants for criminal history. You have the right to see the landlord’s written tenant selection criteria before you pay any money. If a landlord rejects you without having given notice of that right, they must return your application fee and deposit, according to TexasLawHelp.org.
How do I find employers who hire people with a record?
We did not find a Lubbock employer that publishes a fair-chance hiring statement on its own site, so we do not list any. To find them, build a profile on TDCJ’s Website for Work, where employers sign up to hire people who were incarcerated. Ask Workforce Solutions staff about hiring events, and tell employers about the free fidelity bond.
Also on 806 Connect
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Sources
We read each of these official pages on the date shown. Programs change, so call before you go.
- Workforce Solutions South Plains: Locations and job seekers (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- Texas Workforce Commission: Fidelity Bonding (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- Texas Workforce Commission: Reentry (employers) (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- TDCJ: Rehabilitation and Reentry Division (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- TDCJ: Website for Work (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas: Lubbock (clinic dates) (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas: Statewide Expunction Project (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- TexasLawHelp.org: Expunctions vs. nondisclosures (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- TexasLawHelp.org: Rental application fees (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- Goodwill Industries of NorthWest Texas: Job training (checked Sept. 29, 2026)
- Texas DPS: Conviction search (checked Sept. 29, 2026)