Last updated: May 20, 2026
Urgent help if you or your child may be in danger
If danger is happening now, call 911. If calling is not safe, go to a safer public place, a neighbor, a store, a clinic, a school office, or a police station if you can do that without increasing danger.
For confidential domestic violence help, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 800-799-7233, texting START to 88788, or using online chat. Wyoming survivors can also use the local advocacy programs directory from the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Native survivors and relatives can contact StrongHearts Native Helpline at 844-762-8483 by call, text, or chat. If you are in emotional crisis, call or text 988, or use the Wyoming 988 Lifeline page for more options.
Bottom line
Wyoming has domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy programs across the state. These programs may help with safety planning, emergency shelter, court support, protection order questions, transportation referrals, basic needs, and connections to legal help. Help can be limited by shelter space, county resources, weather, distance, and funding, so it is smart to contact an advocate early if it is safe to do so.
This guide is for general information only. It is not legal advice or safety advice. A trained advocate, attorney, court clerk, or licensed professional can help you look at your own situation. If someone monitors your phone, computer, car, bank account, or mail, use a safer device when possible.
Where to start in Wyoming
Start with safety, not paperwork. If you are not sure what to do, a local advocate can talk through options without forcing you to file a police report, leave your home, or go to court. You can ask what is available in your county and nearby counties.
If you need a safe place tonight
Call your nearest advocacy program or the National Hotline. Ask about shelter, hotel help, transportation, pet options, and whether another county has space.
If you need court protection
Use the Wyoming Judicial Branch domestic violence page and ask an advocate or legal aid how to prepare. You can file at Circuit Court.
If you need food, health care, or child care
Apply through Wyoming DFS or Wyoming Medicaid, and tell your worker if family violence affects child support cooperation, mail, or interviews.
For broader next steps, the ASMOM guide to Wyoming emergency help can support this page, but use official crisis contacts first for safety issues.
Quick Wyoming contacts
| Need | Start here | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate danger | 911 | Ask for emergency help and say if children, weapons, injuries, or a protection order are involved. |
| Safety planning | WCADVSA directory | Ask for the program serving your county or reservation. |
| State victim services | DVS provider list | Ask for a domestic violence, sexual assault, victim witness, or SANE provider. |
| National hotline | The Hotline | Ask for confidential safety planning and local referrals. |
| Native survivors | StrongHearts | Ask for culturally centered support and referrals. |
| Food, shelter, utilities | Wyoming 211 | Dial 211 or 888-425-7138, or text your ZIP code to 898211. |
| Legal help | Legal hotline | Ask for screening for civil legal help and protection order support. |
Shelter, advocacy, and local support
Wyoming is rural, and the closest shelter may not be in your county. That does not mean help is unavailable. Many programs help across county lines. Some programs provide shelter; others provide safety planning, court help, basic needs, referrals, or help finding another safe option.
The state provider list includes domestic violence and sexual assault programs, victim witness programs, SANE programs, child advocacy centers, and other supports by county. The coalition program page also lists crisis lines and notes which programs have shelter.
| Area example | Program example | Crisis contact |
|---|---|---|
| Laramie County | Safehouse Services | 307-637-7233 |
| Natrona County | Self Help Center | 307-235-2814 |
| Campbell County | Gillette Abuse Refuge Foundation | 307-686-8070 |
| Fremont County | Alliance Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault | 307-856-4734 |
| Park County | Crisis Intervention Services | 877-864-9688 |
| Wind River area | Eastern Shoshone Victim Services | 307-438-3306 |
Use the table as a starting sample only. Confirm the current program for your county through the official directories, because phone numbers, shelter space, and service areas can change.
What an advocate may help with
An advocate may help you think through safe contact, shelter options, transportation, court accompaniment, child safety, school concerns, pet safety, and benefits referrals. Advocates are not the same as attorneys, but they can often 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, contact, or come near you. It may also address temporary custody, visitation, use of the home, support, or other safety-related needs depending on the facts.
The Wyoming courts page says protection order forms are available online and at the courthouse, and that domestic violence protection orders are filed in Circuit Court. There is no filing cost or service cost for a domestic violence order of protection. A temporary order may be issued without the other person present if the judge believes there is immediate danger, and a full hearing usually follows soon after.
You do not have to have a lawyer to ask for an order. Still, it can help to speak with legal aid, the WCADVSA legal program, or a local advocate before the hearing, especially if custody, housing, firearms, immigration issues, or the other person’s lawyer may be involved. The WCADVSA legal program offers survivor-focused legal help statewide, and the statewide legal hotline can screen civil legal needs.
Reality check
A court order can help, but it cannot guarantee safety. Ask an advocate how the order will be served, how to keep copies, how to report violations, and what to do about school, child exchanges, work, housing, and online contact.
ASMOM’s Wyoming legal help page can help you compare legal resources, but court 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 a program can call another county, help with transportation, use hotel assistance, or help you connect 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 explains protections for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including limits on denial or eviction because of abuse and possible emergency transfer requests.
Wyoming also has a Safe Homes Act. The Wyoming Safe Homes Act may give a tenant a defense against rent after leaving when specific domestic abuse or sexual violence conditions are met, including written notice and documentation rules. Talk with legal aid or an advocate before using this route if you can, because the details matter.
For homelessness or housing crisis referrals, Wyoming DFS points people to homeless services and Wyoming 211. For longer-term housing help, see ASMOM’s Wyoming housing help, Wyoming utility help, and Wyoming transportation help guides.
Food, cash, health care, and child care after abuse
Leaving or staying safe can cause lost income, missed work, child care problems, transportation costs, and medical bills. Public benefits may help, but they are not instant and they are not guaranteed. Apply as early as you safely can, keep copies of what you submit, and tell the agency if family violence affects your case.
| Help type | Official start | Reality check |
|---|---|---|
| Food help | Wyoming SNAP | DFS may need an interview and proof. Ask about urgent food options if you have little or no food. |
| Cash help | TANF/POWER | Rules include work and child support pieces. Ask about safety concerns before child support cooperation. |
| Child care | Child care subsidy | Help depends on income, approved activity, provider rules, and local office decisions. |
| Health coverage | Wyoming Medicaid | Children, pregnant women, parents, and some adults may qualify under different rules. |
| Pregnancy and children | Wyoming WIC | WIC can help pregnant women, new moms, babies, and children under 5 if they qualify. |
| Crime costs | Victim compensation | Ask a local victim service provider to help with the application and documents. |
For practical next steps by program, ASMOM has separate Wyoming guides for Wyoming food help, Wyoming TANF help, Wyoming child care, and Wyoming health care for program details.
Children, school, custody, and child support
If children are involved, ask an advocate or lawyer how to make exchanges safer, how to tell the school who may pick up your child, and how to keep copies of orders where staff can find them. Do not rely on verbal agreements when there is a safety concern.
Wyoming courts say a protection order may include temporary custody, visitation limits, no-contact terms, support, and other relief depending on the case. If you already have a custody order, do not assume a protection order changes everything unless the court order clearly says so. Ask legal aid or a private attorney to review both orders.
Child support can be helpful, but it can also create safety risks for some survivors. Wyoming’s Good Cause policy says public assistance customers can raise family violence concerns when cooperation with child support may put a caretaker or child at risk. Tell your DFS, Medicaid, or child support worker if family violence affects your case.
For more child support basics, see ASMOM’s Wyoming child support guide. If you need school, baby supplies, or emotional support, the pages on Wyoming community help, Wyoming baby gear, and Wyoming mental health may help you build a wider support plan.
Documents and information 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.
| Item | Why it may help | Safety note |
|---|---|---|
| ID, birth certificates, Social Security cards | Benefits, school, court, housing, medical care | Copies or photos may help if originals are not safe. |
| Medicaid, insurance, WIC, EBT cards | Care, food, prescriptions, child needs | Ask agencies about replacement cards if needed. |
| Protection orders or court papers | Law enforcement, school, work, housing | Keep copies where you can reach them safely. |
| Lease, rent receipts, utility bills | Housing help, VAWA requests, Safe Homes questions | Do not alert an unsafe person by searching shared files. |
| School and medical contacts | Child pickup, counseling, medication, emergency contacts | Ask about password protection or pickup limits. |
| Pay stubs, bank info, benefit letters | SNAP, TANF, child care, housing, Medicaid | Use a safe mailing address when possible. |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not assume a shelter is full statewide because one program has no space. Ask them to call nearby programs.
- Do not post plans, court dates, new addresses, school changes, or travel details online.
- Do not ignore court papers, benefit notices, Medicaid renewal mail, or child support letters.
- Do not assume child support cooperation is required in the same way if family violence creates risk. Ask about Good Cause.
- Do not rely on a landlord or benefits worker to know every safety rule. Ask legal aid or an advocate when something feels wrong.
If you are denied, delayed, ignored, or overwhelmed
If a program cannot help today, ask what it can do instead. Ask for a written denial, a waitlist spot, another county referral, a supervisor review, an appeal form, or the name of the next office to call. For safety matters, ask an advocate to help you make calls.
If benefits are delayed, contact your local DFS office and ask what proof is missing. If court help is delayed, call the legal hotline and ask whether there is a clinic, court navigator, or local advocate who can help prepare papers. If housing help is delayed, contact Wyoming 211 and ask about food, fuel, transportation, motel, utility, and homeless-service referrals while you wait.
For broad benefit and state help paths, ASMOM’s Wyoming assistance guide can help you see other options, but it should not replace official safety help in a crisis.
Phone scripts you can use
Calling a domestic violence advocate
“Hi, I am a single mother in Wyoming and I need to talk safely about domestic violence. I may need shelter or help making a plan with 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, whether there is an advocate available, and what times filings are accepted?”
Calling DFS about benefits
“I need to apply for help with food, cash assistance, 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 housing or 211
“I am leaving or trying to stay safe because of domestic violence. I need housing, transportation, or motel/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 domĂ©stica, puede llamar a la LĂnea Nacional de Violencia DomĂ©stica al 800-799-7233 o enviar START al 88788. En Wyoming, tambiĂ©n puede buscar un programa local de ayuda para violencia domĂ©stica y agresiĂłn sexual. Un defensor puede ayudarle a hablar sobre refugio, seguridad, Ăłrdenes de protecciĂłn, comida, cuidado infantil, vivienda y ayuda legal. Esta guĂa es informaciĂłn general, no consejo legal ni de seguridad.
FAQ
Is there domestic violence shelter in every Wyoming county?
Not every county has the same shelter space, but Wyoming has local or regional advocacy programs that serve counties across the state. Use the official WCADVSA or DVS directories, and ask about nearby counties if the closest program is full.
Do I need a lawyer to file for a protection order in Wyoming?
No. Wyoming courts provide forms, and protection orders are filed in Circuit Court. A lawyer or advocate can still be very 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, file a 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. Get help from an advocate or legal aid if you can.
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 May 20, 2026, next review August 20, 2026.
Corrections: If you see something wrong or outdated, email suggestions@asinglemother.org with the page title and correction.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. It is not legal, financial, medical, tax, immigration, disability, safety, or government-agency advice.