Last updated: June 18, 2026
Urgent help if you or your child may be in danger
If danger is happening now, call 911. If calling is not safe, move toward a safer public place, neighbor, store, clinic, school office, or police station only if you can do that without making danger worse.
For confidential domestic violence help, contact The Hotline by calling 800-799-7233, texting START to 88788, or using chat. Wyoming survivors can also use the Wyoming program directory from the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Native survivors and relatives can contact StrongHearts at 844-762-8483 by call, text, or chat. If you are in a mental health or emotional crisis, call or text 988, or use the Wyoming 988 page for chat and support options.
Use a safer device if you can
Phone, computer, car, bank, email, social media, and location activity can sometimes be monitored. Use a safer device, private browser, library computer, school phone, clinic phone, or a trusted person’s phone when possible. This guide is general information only. It is not legal advice, medical advice, or a personal safety plan.
Bottom line
Wyoming has local and regional domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy programs across the state. These programs may help with safety planning, shelter, court support, protection order questions, transportation referrals, basic needs, and legal referrals.
Help can be limited by shelter space, distance, weather, county resources, and funding. If you can safely call before a crisis becomes worse, an advocate may be able to talk through options and nearby programs. You do not have to promise to leave, file a police report, or go to court just to ask questions.
If you also need food, Medicaid, child care, housing, or cash help, start those applications as safely and early as you can. Tell the worker if family violence affects mail, interviews, child support cooperation, transportation, or contact with the other parent.
Where to start in Wyoming
Start with safety, not paperwork. Pick the path that fits today. You can ask an advocate to help you think through the next call.
You need help tonight
Call a local advocacy program or the National Hotline. Ask about shelter, hotel options, transportation, children, pets, and nearby county openings.
You need court help
Use the Wyoming courts domestic violence page, then ask an advocate or legal aid how to prepare before a hearing if possible.
You need benefits
Contact Wyoming DFS or Medicaid. Tell the worker if family violence affects child support cooperation, mail, appointments, or safe contact.
You feel overwhelmed
Call 211 for local needs like food, shelter, utilities, transportation, diapers, and clinics. For emotional crisis support, use 988.
For general crisis help beyond abuse-specific services, ASMOM’s Wyoming emergency help guide may support this page. Use official crisis contacts first when safety is the main issue.
Quick contacts
| Need | Start here | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate danger | 911 | Say if children, weapons, injuries, strangulation, stalking, or a court order are involved. |
| Local advocate | DVS providers | Ask for the domestic violence or sexual assault program serving your county. |
| National support | 800-799-7233 | Ask for confidential safety planning and local Wyoming referrals. |
| Native survivors | 844-762-8483 | Ask for culturally centered support by call, text, or chat. |
| Food and shelter | Wyoming 211 | Dial 211 or 888-425-7138, or text your ZIP code to 898211. |
| Legal screening | Legal Aid | Call 1-877-432-9955 and ask about protection, custody, housing, or benefits issues. |
Shelter, advocacy, and local support
Wyoming is rural, and the closest domestic violence shelter may not be in your county. That does not mean help is unavailable. Many programs serve more than one county, and some can call nearby programs if their shelter is full.
The Wyoming Division of Victim Services provider list includes domestic violence and sexual assault programs, victim witness programs, sexual assault nurse examiner programs, child advocacy centers, and other supports by county. The WCADVSA directory also lists local advocacy programs and crisis contacts.
An advocate may help with safety planning, shelter options, protection order information, court support, transportation referrals, school and child safety concerns, pet concerns, and basic needs. Advocates are not the same as attorneys, but they can often connect you to legal help.
| Question to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Do you serve my county? | Some programs cover nearby counties or reservations. |
| Do you have shelter? | Some programs have beds, while others provide advocacy and referrals. |
| Can you help with children? | Ask about school pickup, custody orders, supplies, and child safety steps. |
| What if beds are full? | Ask about nearby counties, transportation, hotel help, or 211 referrals. |
| Can you help with court? | Advocates may explain forms, attend court, or connect you to legal help. |
Wyoming protection orders
A domestic violence order of protection is a civil court order. It may tell the other person not to abuse, threaten, contact, or come near you. It may also address temporary custody, visitation, use of the home, support, or other safety-related issues if the judge orders it.
The Wyoming courts page says domestic violence protection order forms are available online and at the courthouse, and that domestic violence orders of protection are filed with the Clerk of Circuit Court. The court page also says there is no filing cost or service cost for a domestic violence order of protection.
You do not have to have a lawyer to ask for an order. Still, legal help can matter if children, custody, housing, firearms, immigration concerns, stalking, sexual assault, or another open court case is involved. The WCADVSA legal program provides statewide survivor-focused legal help, and Legal Aid of Wyoming screens people for civil legal services.
Protection order reality check
A court order can help, but it cannot guarantee safety. Ask an advocate how the order will be served, where to keep copies, how to report violations, and how to handle work, school, child exchanges, housing, and online contact.
ASMOM’s Wyoming legal help guide can help you compare legal resources, but official court, legal aid, and advocate sources should guide urgent steps.
Housing, leases, and safe shelter
If you need shelter because of abuse, call a local advocate first when possible. If all nearby beds are full, ask whether the program can check another county, help with transportation, use hotel assistance, or connect you with Wyoming 211.
If you live in public housing, Section 8, or another covered HUD-assisted home, federal VAWA housing protections may apply. The HUD VAWA notice says covered survivors cannot be denied, evicted, or removed from housing assistance because of someone else’s criminal acts directly related to covered violence or abuse. It also explains emergency transfer requests.
Wyoming also has a Safe Homes Act. The official Safe Homes Act says a landlord may not terminate a tenancy based only on a tenant’s or household member’s status as a victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence. Lease and rent issues can be technical, so ask legal aid or an advocate before using this law if you can.
For homelessness referrals, the Wyoming Department of Family Services points people to homeless services and 211. For longer-term support, use ASMOM’s Wyoming housing help, Wyoming utility help, and Wyoming transportation help guides.
Food, cash, health care, and child care after abuse
Family violence can affect income, rides, child care, medical care, phone service, school routines, and safe mailing addresses. Public benefits may help, but they are not instant and approval is not guaranteed. Apply as early as you safely can, keep copies, and tell the agency if abuse affects your case.
| Help type | Official start | Reality check |
|---|---|---|
| Food help | Wyoming SNAP | DFS may need an application, interview, and proof. |
| Cash help | TANF POWER | Rules may include work and child support steps. |
| Child care | Child care aid | Help depends on income, activity, provider, and local rules. |
| Health coverage | Wyoming Medicaid | Children, pregnant women, parents, and some adults use different rules. |
| Pregnancy and kids | Wyoming WIC | WIC can help eligible pregnant people, new moms, babies, and young children. |
| Crime costs | Victim compensation | A victim service provider can help with forms and documents. |
For program-by-program help, ASMOM has guides for Wyoming food help, Wyoming TANF help, Wyoming child care, Wyoming health care.
Children, school, custody, and child support
If children are involved, ask an advocate or lawyer how to make school pickup, child exchanges, medical care, and court orders safer. Give schools and child care providers copies of current orders when safe and appropriate. Ask if the school can add pickup notes or a password.
A Wyoming protection order may address temporary custody, visitation, child support, and contact limits if the court orders those terms. If you already have a custody order, do not assume one order changes the other unless the paperwork clearly says so. Ask legal aid or an attorney to review both orders.
Child support can help with money, but it can create safety risks in some cases. Wyoming’s Good Cause policy says the child support program recognizes that child support actions can trigger threats or violence. Tell your DFS, Medicaid, or child support worker if family violence affects cooperation, safe contact, or address privacy.
For more background, use ASMOM’s Wyoming child support guide and the national domestic violence guide. If you need broader legal background, see family safety help.
Documents to gather if it is safe
Do not risk your safety to collect paperwork. If documents are not safe to gather, ask an advocate how to replace them later. Some offices can help even if you do not have everything on day one. ASMOM’s documents checklist can help you organize papers when it is safe.
| Item | Why it may help | Safety note |
|---|---|---|
| ID and birth records | Benefits, school, court, housing, medical care | Copies or photos may help if originals are not safe. |
| EBT, WIC, Medicaid cards | Food, care, prescriptions, child needs | Ask agencies about replacement cards. |
| Court orders | School, work, law enforcement, housing | Keep copies where you can reach them safely. |
| Lease and bills | Housing help, VAWA requests, utility help | Do not search shared files if it may alert someone unsafe. |
| Income proof | SNAP, TANF, child care, housing, Medicaid | Ask for a safe mailing address or email option. |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming one full shelter means no help exists. Ask the program to check nearby counties and other safe options.
- Posting plans online. Avoid posting court dates, new addresses, school changes, travel, or shelter plans.
- Ignoring notices. Benefit, court, custody, child support, and housing deadlines can matter.
- Forgetting Good Cause. If child support cooperation feels unsafe, ask a worker or advocate about safety concerns.
- Relying on one office. If a landlord, worker, or agency says no, ask for the rule, a supervisor, or legal help.
If help is denied, delayed, or hard to reach
If a program cannot help today, ask what it can do instead. Ask for a written denial, waitlist spot, another county referral, supervisor review, appeal form, or next office to call. If calls feel unsafe, ask an advocate to help.
If benefits are delayed, contact your DFS office and ask what proof is missing. If court help is delayed, call Legal Aid or the WCADVSA legal program. If housing help is delayed, call Wyoming 211 and ask about food, fuel, transportation, motel, utility, and homeless-service referrals while you keep looking.
ASMOM’s benefits problem guide can help with notices and appeals. For broader state support, ASMOM’s Wyoming assistance guide can help you see other options, but it should not replace official safety help in a crisis.
Phone scripts
Calling an advocate
“Hi, I am a single mother in Wyoming and I need to talk safely about domestic violence. I may need shelter or help with a plan for my children. Can you tell me what options are available in my county or nearby counties?”
Calling the court clerk
“I need information about filing for a domestic violence order of protection in Circuit Court. Can you tell me where to get the forms, what hours filings are accepted, and whether an advocate is available?”
Calling DFS
“I need help with food, cash assistance, Medicaid, or child care. There is family violence involved, and I am worried about contact with the other parent. How do I note safety concerns and ask about Good Cause?”
Calling 211
“I am trying to stay safe because of domestic violence. I need housing, transportation, food, utility, or motel and shelter referrals for me and my children. What programs can I contact today?”
Resumen en español
Si usted o sus hijos están en peligro ahora, llame al 911. Para ayuda confidencial por violencia doméstica, puede llamar a la LÃnea Nacional de Violencia Doméstica al 800-799-7233 o enviar START al 88788. En Wyoming, puede buscar un programa local de ayuda para violencia doméstica y agresión sexual.
Un defensor puede ayudarle a hablar sobre refugio, seguridad, órdenes de protección, comida, cuidado infantil, vivienda y ayuda legal. Si alguien revisa su teléfono, computadora, carro, correo o cuentas, use un dispositivo más seguro si puede. Esta guÃa es información general, no consejo legal ni un plan de seguridad personal.
FAQ
Is there domestic violence shelter in every Wyoming county?
Not every county has the same shelter space, but Wyoming has local and regional advocacy programs that serve counties across the state. Use official directories and ask about nearby counties if the closest program is full.
Do I need a lawyer to file for a protection order?
No. Wyoming courts provide forms, and domestic violence orders of protection are filed in Circuit Court. A lawyer or advocate can still be helpful, especially when children, housing, firearms, immigration, or other court cases are involved.
Can a protection order include my children?
It may. A Wyoming protection order can address temporary custody, visitation, child support, and contact rules depending on the facts and what the judge orders.
Can I get help if I am not ready to leave?
Yes. You can contact an advocate for confidential support and safety planning even if you are not ready to leave, make a police report, or go to court.
What if child support cooperation feels unsafe?
Tell your DFS, Medicaid, or child support worker about the family violence concern and ask about Good Cause or safety protections. An advocate or legal aid office may be able to help you explain the concern.
Can housing programs evict me because of abuse?
Covered HUD-assisted housing has VAWA protections for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Wyoming law also has tenant protections. Ask legal aid or an advocate before taking action.
About this guide
This guide uses official federal, state, local, and other high-trust nonprofit and community sources mentioned in the article.
A Single Mother is independent and is not a government agency, benefits office, lender, law firm, medical provider, or tax advisor.
Program rules, funding, local availability, and eligibility can change. Always confirm details with the official program before you apply or make decisions.
Verification: Last verified June 18, 2026, next review September 18, 2026.
Corrections: If you see something wrong or outdated, email suggestions@asinglemother.org.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. It is not legal, financial, medical, tax, immigration, disability, safety, or government-agency advice.