Shelter
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Our goal is to empower our survivors to be fully independent and self-sufficient. We move beyond simply providing safety for our survivors—we help them to break the cycle of abuse and foster confidence so that they can survive and be a positive role model for themselves and others.
24/7 Shelter Solutions
Our emergency shelters offer temporary housing to survivors and their children fleeing life-threatening situations. We have two warm and comfortable locations that can house a total of 55 women and children. The survivors living in our emergency shelters are provided with food, clothing and all the necessities of daily living along with case management, safety planning, counseling, legal support, and referral to other community resources.
Safe and Confidential Locations
Those seeking a safe place to stay can stay in the emergency shelters for up to 90 days, and the locations of the shelters remain strictly confidential to ensure the safety of those living in the shelters. Children living in the shelters are enrolled in schools nearby or may attend their home school if it is safe to do so. Male victims and their children (if any) are given shelter at a local hotel and provided with the same solutions.
On-Site Staff
Along with our shelter solutions, survivors also receive personal advocacy solutions from our experienced advocates and case managers. These case managers are the direct ground support for survivors and are experts on systems that provide resources, solutions, and opportunities. We assist survivors in setting goals and developing an action plan on how to attain them. Our advocacy solutions range from providing basic needs such as food, sundries, clothing, and school supplies, to more advanced needs such as education for budgeting, building resumes, job searches, and job acquisition.
Amenities
In addition to being staffed 24 hours a day by our trained advocates who are available to assist with anything our survivors may need, we also have an on-site counselor to provide individual and group counseling sessions. At each shelter location, there is a playground outside, a playroom with toys and children’s books, a fully-stocked kitchen, a computer station, and a group room for weekly counseling sessions, domestic abuse education classes, and financial literacy classes.
Our shelter advocates are on-site 24 hours a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Emergency Shelter
What are shelter accommodations like? What do I need to bring with me?
Our shelter provides all basic needs to survivors, including food, toiletries, sheets and other bed linens, towels, cleaning products, etc. We also have diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, etc. We have a clothing closet filled with donated items, but if our clothing closet does not help you replenish your wardrobe, we can also provide you with a voucher to our Resale Store. We may provide limited transportation assistance. We recommend that you bring your medications and your important documents (birth certificates, passports, photo IDs, medical records, legal documents, etc.).
How long can I stay?
Our shelter program assists survivors for up to 90 days.
Do you accept men, nonbinary, or transgender people into your shelter program?
Yes. We are affirming and accepting of all community members as survivors regardless of gender identity, sexuality, race, age, or socioeconomic status. Cisgender and transgender women and their children may stay in our shelters, and men or nonbinary people and their children are served through partnerships with local hotels and other agencies.
Can I bring my pets?
We know that pets are often beloved family members and leaving a pet behind is often a barrier to leaving an abusive relationship. That’s why we partner with Mazie’s Mission, which arranges for a family to foster your pet in a safe place during your time in our shelter.
Transitional Housing
Survivors receiving shelter may be eligible to participate in our Housing Program. The main goal of the program is to enable survivors to stay in a home and live self-sufficiently once they have completed the program. Our Housing Program is funded through HUD.
Housing Advocates
We offer a variety of solutions to help survivors start new lives after leaving an abusive relationship. Solutions available to families and individuals include financial assistance to pay deposits, rent and utilities, childcare, and education expenses. Survivors also have access to supportive solutions, such as case management, individual and group counseling, financial literacy, job support/training, life skills, and a variety of other options.
Access to Other Supportive Solutions
Our Housing Program provides more than just access to affordable housing and supportive solutions to assist survivors in attaining housing stability, safety, self-sufficiency, and independent living. We adhere to a “housing first” and trauma-informed care model which, through the use of motivational interviewing, assures that survivors’ basic needs are met first. When survivors’ basic needs are met, this provides a solid foundation on which they’re able to work towards other goals.
Our shelter advocates are on-site 24 hours a day.
Ultimately, our Housing Team works to eliminate the pressure of a survivor returning to his/her abusive relationship due to a lack of safety, housing, and financial stability. Without our solutions and support, domestic abuse survivors might feel obligated to return to an abusive home in order to avoid being homeless.
We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Transitional Housing
Can I receive housing support if I did not stay in an HDNBC shelter?
HDNBC staff work with each survivor on their individual plan for safety and stability. A survivor does not need to be at the shelter to discuss their housing needs or other available options both at HDNBC and in the larger community.
What are the requirements to receive housing support?
Advocates and case managers at HDNBC work with domestic abuse victims to discuss their housing needs and then act as navigators to connect to available housing options. Individual housing programs across the community may have additional requirements.
How do I apply for housing support?
Survivors at our shelter will be assigned a case manager who will immediately start discussing housing support options and house survivors as quickly as possible through “Rapid Re-Housing.” For survivors not looking for temporary shelter, please contact our Outreach office to schedule an intake appointment for housing support. At intake, the advocate can assure survivors receive housing options tailored to their unique geographical needs and offer support towards stability in the area of vocational and financial literacy.
Who We Serve
HDNBC proudly serves anyone impacted by domestic abuse, family violence, or teen dating abuse regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, disability, immigration status, primary language, or sexuality. Multigenerational families with kids (and adults) of all ages are supported. We can also provide safety for pets.
More Information
If you would like more information about our Housing Program and how we assist domestic abuse survivors to transition from a shelter (or a hotel for male survivors) to long-term housing of their own, please call our Outreach Center at (972) 422-2911 and ask to speak to our Housing Program Manager.
