Get Help
Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline
Call or text our hotline 24/7 at 877-863-6338 (877-TO END DV). We offer language assistance in over 240 languages.
Our DV Hotline provides crisis safety planning and referrals to emergency housing and support services to survivors of domestic violence in Illinois. In addition, Victim Information Resource Advocates can provide information and local resources to concerned family and friends.
The Hotline is funded through a collaborative funding model with the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services.
What to expect when you call the Hotline:
You’ll hear a recording letting you know that the Hotline is confidential and free. Depending on the call volume, you may be put in a queue, typically for under 3-5 minutes. In 2022, the average wait time was 39 seconds.
A live VIRA (Victim Information and Referral Advocate) will talk with you, starting by making sure you’re safe to speak with them. They may ask a couple of questions to better serve your needs, including connecting you with a translator if you are more comfortable talking in another language. These depend on the situation you’re experiencing and all questions are optional. Share what you feel comfortable sharing.
The advocate will listen to your story, offer support and safety planning, and can connect you with resources, such as emergency housing, counseling, and legal advocacy. Usually they’ll do a “warm transfer” if you’re ready to be connected with resources, putting you on hold briefly while they share your needs with the fellow advocate who will be supporting you, then connecting you, so that you do not have to retell your story. Many of these resources offer culturally specific programming, including member organizations such as Apna Ghar, Arab American Family Services, KAN-WIN, Mujeres Latinas, and SHALVA, which specialize in particular religious, migrant, and language communities.
Your VIRA will offer you a client ID number, so you can call back for further resources. All questions are optional and confidential. We’re asking them so that we can better serve your needs and the needs of other survivors.
Access:
You have the right to access our services regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, socioeconomic status, marital status, language, or physical, mental, or sensory ability.
If you believe that you have been discriminated against, you may file a complaint with The Network by emailing apyron@the-network.org. The Network is a grantee of federal funds. As a result, you can also file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/index.html. You may also notify the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority’s Civil Rights Officer (CRO) at 312-793-8550.
Survivor Crisis Fund:
The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence also established a Survivor Crisis Fund for survivors of domestic violence to address critical gaps in the safety net. We are currently out of funding but are always working to raise more funds. Please check back here to see if funds are available. If you have questions, please reach out to us at survivorfund@the-network.org.
