How many domestic violence resources are in Florida?

Women's Corner tracks 18 domestic violence resources for women in Florida.

Are domestic violence resources in Florida free?

18 of the 18 listed domestic violence resources in Florida are explicitly free or low-cost.

Which cities in Florida have domestic violence resources?

Listings span cities including Tallahassee, Broward County, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Delray Beach.

What are some examples of domestic violence resources in Florida?

Featured entries include Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Women in Distress of Broward County, Harbor House of Central Florida — Orlando, The Spring of Tampa Bay, Hubbard House — Jacksonville.

Do these listings include phone numbers?

8 of 18 Florida domestic violence listings include phone numbers.

How do I get a restraining order?

Go to your county's family or civil courthouse and ask the clerk for a 'protective order' or 'order of protection' petition — no attorney or filing fee required. Temporary ex parte orders can be issued the same day. A full hearing follows within 10–21 days. Court advocates and DV agencies help fill out forms; bring any evidence (texts, photos, police reports).

Where can I go right now if I'm not safe?

Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788) — they connect you to your nearest shelter, arrange emergency transport, and help with a safety plan. Shelters are confidential, free, and 24/7. If you're in immediate danger, call 911 and ask for a DV advocate at the scene.

Will the shelter take my kids?

Yes. Domestic violence shelters accept women with children — most accommodate boys up to age 17 (a few have age limits around 12–13 for older boys, and will arrange alternate placement nearby). Pets are increasingly welcome through programs like RedRover and Sheltering Animals & Families Together. Bring kids' birth certificates, school records, and any medications if you can.

Is the hotline really free and confidential?

Yes — the National DV Hotline and all state DV hotlines are free, confidential, anonymous, available 24/7, and offered in 200+ languages. Advocates don't report to police, immigration, or CPS unless you request it (mandatory reporting applies only to active child abuse). You can call to plan, vent, or just ask questions before deciding anything.

Best Domestic Violence in Florida — 18 resources

About Domestic Violence for Women

Domestic violence services for women are anchored by the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE), the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and a state coalition in every state coordinated through the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). VAWA funds shelters, transitional housing, legal services, and immigration relief (U-visa, T-visa, VAWA self-petition). Survivors can obtain civil protective orders, address-confidentiality through state ACP programs, and victim advocates through local prosecutor offices. The National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-HOPE) and StrongHearts Native Helpline serve specific survivor populations. This directory includes hotlines, shelters, state DV coalitions, and protective order resources.

Domestic Violence in Florida

Florida handles family law in circuit courts across its 20 judicial circuits. The Department of Revenue Child Support Program oversees enforcement statewide. Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale are the largest metros. Bay Area Legal Services, Three Rivers Legal Services, the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and statewide Planned Parenthood affiliates serve women.

18 Resources

1. Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence — Free

FCADV coordinates the statewide network of 41 certified DV shelters from its John Knox Road headquarters in Tallahassee and runs the Florida DV Hotline. Call the office on weekdays for policy questions or coalition referrals; survivors needing immediate help should dial the 24/7 hotline at 1-800-500-1119 instead.

(850) 425-2749 · 325 John Knox Rd Suite 303, Tallahassee, FL 32303 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

2. Women in Distress of Broward County — Free

Broward's only state-certified DV center operates an emergency shelter at a confidential address, transitional housing, and a 24/7 hotline. Advocates accompany survivors to injunction-for-protection hearings at the Broward Courthouse and walk through safety-planning sessions in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.

(954) 761-1133 · Broward County, FL (confidential) · 24/7 hotline

3. Harbor House of Central Florida — Orlando — Free

Harbor House is Orange County's state-certified DV shelter at a confidential Orlando address, running a 24/7 crisis line, emergency shelter, the R3 Project for non-residential survivors, and the Florida Abuse Hotline Lookup tool for survivors checking on perpetrator records.

(407) 886-2856 · Orlando, FL (confidential) · 24/7 hotline

4. The Spring of Tampa Bay — Free

The Spring is Hillsborough County's certified DV center with a 132-bed emergency shelter, court advocacy, and counseling — the largest single facility in the Tampa Bay region. Hotline staff arrange transport for survivors needing immediate placement anywhere across the four-county Tampa Bay area.

(813) 247-7233 · Tampa, FL (confidential) · 24/7 hotline · Visit Website

5. Hubbard House — Jacksonville — Free

Hubbard House serves Duval and Baker Counties with a confidential emergency shelter, 24/7 hotline, a thrift store providing free clothing to survivors, and dedicated children's outreach programming. Founded in 1976, it's one of the oldest DV shelters in the Southeast and the only certified center in its two-county region.

(904) 354-3114 · Jacksonville, FL (confidential) · 24/7 hotline · Visit Website

6. Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA) — Palm Beach — Free

AVDA serves Palm Beach County from a confidential Delray Beach location with a 24/7 hotline, emergency shelter, legal advocacy embedded at the courthouse, and counseling for survivors and children. Spanish and Haitian Creole speakers are on staff; immigration-status questions never affect intake.

(561) 265-3797 · Delray Beach, FL (confidential) · 24/7 hotline · Visit Website

7. Lotus House Women's Shelter — Miami — Free

Lotus House in Miami's Overtown neighborhood is the largest women's shelter in the country, with 500-plus beds for women and children experiencing homelessness — including survivors of DV and human trafficking. The on-site medical, dental, and case-management services mean a mother and her kids can stabilize without crossing town.

(305) 438-0556 · 217 NW 15th St, Miami, FL 33136 · 24/7 · Visit Website

8. Florida Crime Victims' Compensation — Free

The Attorney General's Crime Victim Compensation program reimburses survivors for medical expenses, lost wages, mental-health counseling, and funeral costs. File within one year of the crime (some exceptions for child victims); the Fort Lauderdale office walks applicants through documentation requirements over the phone.

(800) 226-6667 · 110 SE 6th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website

9. National Domestic Violence Hotline — Free

1-800-799-SAFE (7233), texting START to 88788, or chat at thehotline.org all reach the same network of trained advocates 24/7. Texting and chat leave no audible trail when a monitored phone makes calling unsafe — and chat history can be cleared from a device immediately.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

10. Loveisrespect — Free

1-866-331-9474 or text LOVEIS to 22522 connects teens and young adults to advocates trained in dating abuse, including digital abuse and reproductive coercion. Useful for Florida mothers worried about a daughter in an unhealthy first relationship who isn't ready to label what's happening as abuse.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

11. StrongHearts Native Helpline — Free

1-844-7NATIVE provides culturally specific DV and dating-abuse support to Native American callers, including referrals to tribal advocates. Important for Indigenous mothers in Florida — Seminole Tribe and Miccosukee Tribe members have unique jurisdictional considerations a generalist hotline may not handle correctly.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

12. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence — Free

NCADV is the national association of state DV coalitions, including FCADV. Public materials cover survivor safety planning, firearm-surrender policy under federal law, and state-by-state law comparisons — useful when a Florida mother is planning to relocate to escape an abuser and wants to know what protections travel with her.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

13. Futures Without Violence — Free

Futures Without Violence develops the evidence-based curricula many DV shelters and pediatric clinics use to screen for abuse. Their public materials help Florida mothers and their children's pediatricians recognize coercive-control patterns long before physical violence escalates — useful as preventive education for teen daughters.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

14. DomesticShelters.org — Free

Searchable database of every DV shelter in the country with bed counts, accepted populations, and services. Useful when a Florida shelter is at capacity and a mother needs to relocate to a different region — or when she wants to scope options privately before committing to leave.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

15. Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence — Free

API-GBV provides culturally specific resources for AAPI survivors, including translated safety-planning materials in Mandarin, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, and other languages. Important for Florida's growing AAPI immigrant communities where language access and shame-based silencing create real barriers to disclosure.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

16. Casa de Esperanza — Free

Casa de Esperanza runs the National Latin@ Network providing bilingual DV resources tailored to Latin American immigrant survivors. Highly relevant across Florida's large Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities; many materials are also adapted for Caribbean Latina survivors specifically.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

17. Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) — Free

OVW administers the VAWA grant funding that flows to FCADV and certified Florida DV shelters. The site explains what VAWA-funded services every survivor is entitled to — including the VAWA self-petition immigration relief for abused noncitizen spouses, which Florida sees significant demand for.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

18. RAINN — Sexual Assault Hotline — Free

1-800-656-HOPE or rainn.org chat connects survivors of sexual violence to local rape crisis centers 24/7, including Florida's certified affiliate network. RAINN advocates help arrange hospital sexual-assault forensic exams (SAFE/SANE kits) and explain reporting options without pressuring survivors toward law enforcement.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

Frequently Asked

How many domestic violence resources are in Florida?: Women's Corner tracks 18 domestic violence resources for women in Florida.
Are domestic violence resources in Florida free?: 18 of the 18 listed domestic violence resources in Florida are explicitly free or low-cost.
Which cities in Florida have domestic violence resources?: Listings span cities including Tallahassee, Broward County, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Delray Beach.
What are some examples of domestic violence resources in Florida?: Featured entries include Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Women in Distress of Broward County, Harbor House of Central Florida — Orlando, The Spring of Tampa Bay, Hubbard House — Jacksonville.
Do these listings include phone numbers?: 8 of 18 Florida domestic violence listings include phone numbers.
How do I get a restraining order?: Go to your county's family or civil courthouse and ask the clerk for a 'protective order' or 'order of protection' petition — no attorney or filing fee required. Temporary ex parte orders can be issued the same day. A full hearing follows within 10–21 days. Court advocates and DV agencies help fill out forms; bring any evidence (texts, photos, police reports).
Where can I go right now if I'm not safe?: Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788) — they connect you to your nearest shelter, arrange emergency transport, and help with a safety plan. Shelters are confidential, free, and 24/7. If you're in immediate danger, call 911 and ask for a DV advocate at the scene.
Will the shelter take my kids?: Yes. Domestic violence shelters accept women with children — most accommodate boys up to age 17 (a few have age limits around 12–13 for older boys, and will arrange alternate placement nearby). Pets are increasingly welcome through programs like RedRover and Sheltering Animals & Families Together. Bring kids' birth certificates, school records, and any medications if you can.
Is the hotline really free and confidential?: Yes — the National DV Hotline and all state DV hotlines are free, confidential, anonymous, available 24/7, and offered in 200+ languages. Advocates don't report to police, immigration, or CPS unless you request it (mandatory reporting applies only to active child abuse). You can call to plan, vent, or just ask questions before deciding anything.