In the eyes of the law, a victim of domestic violence is anyone over the age of sixteen, married people, parents with a child or children under the age of 18, or parents who are victims of a crime and were hurt physically or emotionally by a family member or roommate.
The following are examples of intimate relationships:
Married and divorced couples, domestic partnerships, same-sex couples, dating couples, people who have children in common (including adopted children), people who are unrelated but have lived together for an extended period, family members who are related by blood, and family members who are related by marriage.
When someone reports domestic violence, they may make allegations such as:
Physical and sexual assault, physical restraint or imprisonment, threats of violence, psychological threats, threats of economic abuse, verbal abuse and intimidation, stalking, and harassment.
These are the most often brought criminal charges when someone is accused of domestic abuse:
Assault, Menacing, Stalking, Strangulation, Criminal Obstruction of Breathing, Harassment and Criminal Contempt
USEFUL RESOURCES
• NY Senate Definitions
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/SOS/459-A
• NYC Courts
https://www.nycourts.gov/CourtHelp/Safety/DVbasics.shtml
Consider calling the police if you are a victim of domestic violence and are being:
– Physically or sexually abused
– Restrained or jailed
– Threatened with violence
– Psychologically threatened
– Threatened with economic abuse
– Verbally abused and intimidated
– Stalked, or harassed
These kinds of abuse are against the law.
The city’s law enforcement can support you in getting a protective order and can take action against the abuser if a crime has been committed. Contact the NY Police Department at 646-610-5000.
If you are considering reporting your case to the police, it’s important to be prepared for the process. When reaching out to them, it’s helpful to know what to expect. To learn how to report your case, visit https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/FORMS/familycourt/pdfs/8-1.pdf. Remember to stay strong and know that support is available to you.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, you have the right to file a petition for an order of protection.
Filing an Order of Protection with Family Court
With this order, the person who hurt you is not allowed to touch or approach you anymore. An order of protection can help you settle other issues, like child support and custody.
To get an order of protection, start by filing a family offense petition with the Family Court clerk. You can get help from an advocate, or you can do it on your own.
Check out this document to see how you can obtain an order of protection at Family Court:
https://herjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Orders-of-protection-PDF.pdf. To locate a Family Court, go to: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/COURTS/nyc/family/index.shtml
Order of Protection from Criminal Court
Should your abuser find themselves arrested for a crime involving domestic violence, a District Attorney’s Office court will issue an order of protection for you while the abuser is under custody. This will last until the criminal case ends. The criminal court will issue this order even if you requested one in Family Court.
Considering the above, you can have an order of protection from both the Criminal and Family Court. However, if you are divorcing your spouse, you must obtain a protective order from the Supreme Court as part of your divorce proceedings.
USEFUL RESOURCES
• NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence
https://opdv.ny.gov/orders-protection
• Manhattan’s District Attorney
https://manhattanda.org/order-protection/
• Orders of Protection
https://herjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Orders-of-protection-PDF.pdf
• Mental Health Support
Voces Latinas (Hispanic Community)
Helpline (718) 593-4528
https://www.voceslatinas.org/domestic-violence
Violence Intervention Program (Hispanic Community)
Helpline 1-800-664-5880.
https://www.vipmujeres.org/get-help
Garden of Hope (Chinese Community)
Helpline 1-877-990-8595
https://gohny.org/services
Arab-American Family Support Center
Main Number (718) 643 – 8000
https://www.aafscny.org/our-priorities/preventharm
Sakhi for South Asian Survivors
Helpline (212) 868-6741
https://sakhi.org/get-help
Anti-violence Project (LGBTQ & HIV-affected survivors)
Hotline (212-714-1141)
https://avp.org/get-help/get-support
Domestic violence shelter locations are confidential (no one will be able to find you). Shelters provide services to help you and your children, including counseling, obtaining court and domestic violence documents, and help finding permanent housing.
*You must follow the shelter’s rules and curfews to help ensure the safety of all residents.*
Please find below city and community options to get emergency shelter.
The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) administers city shelters for families with children and adults without children. Families and individuals in immediate need of shelter can attend the following intake centers in person 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Shelters for Families with Children and Individuals
• Families with Children Under 21 and Pregnant Women should go to:
The PATH intake center is at 151 East 151st Street in the Bronx. Click here for more information on the PATH intake center in the Bronx.
• Single Adults should go to:
One of the Single Men/Women’s Assessment Centers.
There are two intake centers for single women:
— HELP Women’s Shelter at 116 Williams Avenue, Brooklyn (between Liberty Avenue and Glenmore Avenue)
— The Franklin Shelter at 1122 Franklin Avenue, Bronx (near East 166th Street)
— There is one intake center for single men
30th Street Intake Center in Manhattan at 400-430 East 30th Street (near 1st Avenue).
The maximum stay is 180 days.
Shelters for Adult Families
Adult Families (no children under 21 in the household) should go to: the Adult Family Intake Center at 400-430 East 30th Street (near 1st Avenue) in Manhattan. There is no maximum stay as long as a household is actively looking for housing.
Victims seeking shelter should identify themselves as victims of domestic abuse and request a specific domestic violence screening from the NoVA (No Violence Again) Unit.
NoVA can suggest general shelters in secure city locations far from the abuse or assist families and individuals in obtaining entry to the private domestic violence shelter system. Access NoVA information at https://www.nyc.gov/site/dhs/prevention/domestic-violence.page.
For more information about DHS shelters, visit DHS’s website at https://www.nyc.gov/site/dhs/shelter/shelter.page.
Sanctuary for Families
Advocates at Sanctuary for Families help stop gender violence by giving members of the community counseling, legal help, and a safe place to stay. if you need support with housing, counseling, legal assistance, or managing your finances, reach out to (212) 349-6009 to speak with an advocate.
The service is open from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. You can leave a text message at any other time.
Anti-Violence Project (AVP)
VIP runs a bilingual (English/Spanish) Helpline in New York City from 9 AM to 11 PM, Monday through Friday. Targeting their services, especially to the expanding Hispanic communities in the NYC region, their advocates offer over-the-phone counseling, safety planning, information about emergency shelters, and referrals to other community-based social service providers.
If you need help, call their helpline at 1-800-664-5880 or visit https://www.vipmujeres.org/get-help to learn more.
Garden of Hope
Especially aiming its services to the expanding Chinese communities in the NYC area, Garden of Hope is committed to supporting, caring for, and rebuilding the lives of people who have been exposed to domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
If you need help or support, contact their Helpline at 1-877-990-8595. Counselors and case managers fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, and Fujianese. All their services are completely FREE and CONFIDENTIAL. To learn more about Garden of Hope shelters and services, visit https://gohny.org/services.
Woman Kind
Womankind, an organization focused on supporting survivors, provides vital resources and cultural expertise to help Asian-descent victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual assault find refuge, recovery, and renewal.
Woman Kind manages the only two New York State-licensed culturally and language-equipped shelters for pan-Asian domestic and sexual assault survivors for 90 days. For information and help, call their Helpline 1 888-888-7702. Visit to learn more https://www.iamwomankind.org/our-services.
Sakhi South Asian Survivors
Sakhi is a community group that provides social services to survivors of South Asian and Indo-Caribbean culture, including people from Bangladesh, the Caribbean, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Depending on your situation and where you live, you may be eligible to receive crisis intervention, psychological counseling, financial aid, and housing assistance to help you recover and become self-sufficient.
If you ever need immediate assistance, don’t hesitate to call their helpline at (212) 868-6741 or text (305) 204-1809. The staff at Sakhi are fluent in a diverse range of South Asian languages and are there to support you. Learn more by visiting their website at https://sakhi.org/get-help.
Updated on May 29, 2024
Sanctuary for Families is a community organization available to support and advocate for victims of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and other types of gender-based violence in New York.
If you need help with housing, counseling, legal assistance, or managing your finances, don’t hesitate to call their helpline at (212) 349 – 6009. The line is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and you can leave a text message at any other time.
For legal help with things like orders of protection, divorce, immigration, child support, child custody, visits, and support payments, connect with an advocate by calling (212) 349-6009, extension 1001, or texting (646) 692-0300.
Visit https://sanctuaryforfamilies.org to learn more about what Sanctuary for Families does for the community.
Updated on May 29, 2024
Her Justice is a non-profit law firm that assists low-income New York City women with serious legal issues who have been victims of domestic abuse.
Her justice offers support through legal advice on orders of protection, child custody, visitation, child support, and divorce. If you have been a victim of violence and you are an immigrant, you can be helped with battered spouse waivers and U-Non-Immigrant-Status petitions under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Contact them at 212-695-3800 (not a hotline). Learn more about their educational and legal services by visiting https://herjustice.org.
Updated on May 29, 2024