Last updated: June 18, 2026
Urgent help in Georgia
If you or your children are in immediate danger, call 911. If calling from your own phone is not safe, try to contact help from a safer phone, a trusted person, a school, a clinic, a hospital, or another public place.
For domestic violence help in Georgia, call the 24-hour statewide hotline at 1-800-33-HAVEN (1-800-334-2836). The Georgia DV hotline connects callers with certified domestic violence programs across the state.
If you cannot safely call, the National DV Hotline offers phone, chat, and text help. Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), chat online, or text START to 88788.
Safety note: Phone, computer, browser, location, and app use can be monitored. Use a safer device if possible. Do not clear history if doing so may make someone suspicious. Ask an advocate for help with digital safety.
Bottom line
Georgia single mothers dealing with abuse can start with three safer doors: the statewide domestic violence hotline, the Superior Court Clerk for protective order questions, and a local advocate for shelter, court, housing, benefits, and child support safety. This guide is general information only. It is not legal, safety, medical, or benefits advice.
If you need broader help with food, rent, child care, utilities, or health coverage, use the ASMOM Georgia help guide after you have a safer way to read, save, and call. For a national safety overview, also use our domestic violence hub.
Where to start if you are not sure
Start with the need that cannot wait. If you need a safe place tonight, call the Georgia domestic violence hotline. If you need a court order, ask the Superior Court Clerk or an advocate about protective order steps. If you need food, Medicaid, TANF, WIC, or child care, use Georgia Gateway and tell the worker if violence affects your address, appointments, work rules, or child support cooperation.
You need safety tonight
Call 1-800-334-2836 and ask for the nearest certified domestic violence program. Ask about shelter, safety planning, children, transportation, and court advocacy.
You need court help
Use the state Georgia TPO guide and ask your Superior Court Clerk how protective order petitions are handled in your county.
You need basic needs
Use Georgia Gateway for SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, WIC, and child care. Use a safe address, phone, and email if someone monitors you.
Georgia’s GCFV data page points to the 2025 Annual Family Violence Fact Sheet. It reports 214,047 family violence incidents over 2020 to 2024 and says domestic-violence-related fatalities increased nearly 4% during that period. Statewide data can show that the issue is serious, but your next step should be based on your own safety and local help.
Quick reference table
| Need | Start here | Reality check |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate danger | Call 911 or get help from a safer phone or place. | Hotlines are not emergency responders. |
| Domestic violence shelter | Call 1-800-334-2836 or search for a local certified program. | Beds and services can change daily. |
| Protective order | Contact the Superior Court Clerk and ask about forms and advocates. | A full hearing is generally within 30 days. |
| Food or Medicaid | Use Georgia Gateway and safe contact details. | Notices may go by mail or portal. |
| Housing crisis | Call the DCA entry line at 1-844-249-8367. | Coordinated entry does not guarantee housing. |
| Legal help | Try Georgia Legal Services or Atlanta Legal Aid. | Legal aid may screen by income, county, and case type. |
Protective orders in Georgia
A protective order is a court order. It can tell the other person not to contact you, not to come near you, and not to threaten, harass, or harm you. Depending on the case, a judge may also address temporary custody, visitation, child support, housing, or property issues.
Georgia has different protective order paths, including family violence, dating violence, stalking, and employer protective orders. The state says there is no cost to file for a family violence protective order. The protective order forms page from the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority has statewide forms, but counties may have local steps.
| Step | What may happen | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare | Write down dates, threats, injuries, police calls, texts, photos, and witnesses. | “Can an advocate help me file?” |
| File | File with the Superior Court Clerk, usually in the county where the respondent lives. | “Are petitions accepted today?” |
| Temporary order | A judge may review whether an emergency order is needed before the full hearing. | “How will service happen?” |
| Full hearing | Both sides may appear, and the judge decides what order, if any, to issue. | “Can I request child-related terms?” |
A court order is not a full safety plan by itself. Talk with an advocate before and after filing, especially if the other person has weapons, has threatened to take the children, tracks your phone, or controls money. For more state-specific legal help, use ASMOM’s Georgia legal help page.
Shelter, rent, and housing safety
If you need shelter because of abuse, start with the statewide domestic violence hotline. Advocates may help with shelter placement, transportation planning, legal advocacy, children’s needs, and referrals. Shelter space can change quickly, and an advocate may need to check more than one program.
If you are homeless, leaving soon, or unsafe where you live, Georgia’s Balance of State Coordinated Entry hotline can connect people outside some local systems to emergency shelter or housing assistance access points. The hotline is 1-844-249-8367. It can help connect you, but it does not guarantee a bed or a unit.
Georgia law may let a tenant end a residential lease early after a qualifying family violence or stalking order when legal requirements are met. Review Georgia lease law and ask legal aid or an advocate before you give notice to a landlord.
If you live in federally assisted housing, VAWA may give you housing protections tied to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. HUD explains those rights on its VAWA housing rights page. Ask your housing authority, landlord, or advocate for the forms, but do not share unsafe details without support.
For broader shelter and rent steps, use ASMOM’s Georgia housing help page and the Georgia emergency help page.
Money, food, child care, and health coverage
Domestic violence can affect work, food, child care, medical needs, transportation, and paperwork. Public benefits can help, but be careful about online accounts, notices, phone messages, and addresses. Ask each worker how to protect contact information.
| Program | What it may help with | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Crime victims compensation | Medical bills, counseling, lost wages, loss of support, funeral costs, and crime-scene cleanup within program limits. | Use CJCC compensation. |
| SNAP | Monthly food help for eligible households. | Use Georgia SNAP. |
| TANF | Cash help and work support for some eligible families. | Ask about Georgia’s family violence policy. |
| CAPS child care | Help paying for child care while working, training, in school, or meeting program rules. | Check the CAPS program. |
| WIC | Food and nutrition support for pregnant women, postpartum mothers, babies, and children under 5. | Check Georgia WIC through Gateway or a clinic. |
| Medicaid | Health coverage for eligible children, pregnant people, parents, and other groups. | Use Georgia Gateway and safe contact details. |
Georgia Crime Victims Compensation may help after a violent crime when other sources do not cover the cost. CJCC says the program may help with up to $25,000 in compensation for expenses and loss of income or support. Ask an advocate for help with deadlines, police report questions, and records before you apply.
For state-specific food and family help, use ASMOM’s Georgia SNAP page, Georgia WIC page, and Georgia child care guide. For health coverage, use the Georgia healthcare help guide. If utilities are part of the crisis, use the Georgia utility help guide.
Children, custody, school, and child support safety
If children are in immediate danger, call 911. If you need to report child abuse or neglect that is not an immediate emergency, Georgia DFCS says reports are taken 24 hours a day at 1-855-GA-CHILD (1-855-422-4453). The DFCS child abuse page explains how to report.
If you are filing for a protective order, ask whether the order can include temporary terms about custody, visitation, support, school pickup, daycare pickup, and contact with children. Do not rely on verbal promises when safety is involved.
Child support can help, but it may create safety concerns if the other parent can see addresses, court dates, or contact information. Georgia DCSS has a Georgia SAVES page for safer access to child support services for domestic violence survivors. Ask DCSS how your address, phone, and hearing information can be protected before opening or changing a case.
For more about support cases, use ASMOM’s Georgia child support guide. If child support cooperation is unsafe in a TANF or benefits case, ask DFCS about family violence and good-cause screening.
Local help and resource finders
Local help matters because shelter space, court steps, transportation, and benefits offices vary by county. You may need several calls, and you may need an advocate to help if the first answer is no.
- 211 Georgia: Dial 211 or use Georgia 211 for food, housing, utilities, health care, employment, and local nonprofit referrals.
- Legal aid: The GCFV legal page lists Atlanta Legal Aid and Georgia Legal Services resources for survivors.
- Plain legal information: The LegalAid DV guide explains protective orders, custody, support, and property issues.
- Sexual assault help: RAINN offers the RAINN hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), plus online support.
- Mental health crisis: Georgia DBHDD lists 988 and Georgia Crisis and Access Line help on its crisis system page.
For practical local support after the first safety steps, ASMOM also has Georgia guides for community support and mental health.
Documents and information checklist
Bring only what you can safely access. Do not go back to an unsafe place to collect papers. An advocate can help you plan safer ways to replace documents. Our documents checklist can help after immediate safety needs are handled.
| Item | Why it helps | Safety note |
|---|---|---|
| Photo ID | Courts, shelters, benefits, and banks may ask for identity. | Ask about options if it was taken. |
| Children’s records | School, child care, Medicaid, WIC, and custody issues. | Copies can often be replaced. |
| Evidence | Texts, photos, police reports, medical records, and witnesses may help court cases. | Save only in a safe place. |
| Income and bills | Benefits, child care, housing, and victim compensation may ask for proof. | Use a safe email or mailing address. |
| Lease or housing papers | Needed for lease, VAWA, eviction, or housing help. | Ask legal aid before notices. |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Posting plans online. Do not post where you are going, court dates, new school plans, or shelter details.
- Using an unsafe phone. Ask an advocate about phone tracking, shared plans, location services, and cloud accounts.
- Skipping the full hearing. If you file for a protective order, missing the hearing can lead to dismissal.
- Giving unsafe contact details. Ask benefits offices, courts, and child support how notices and mail will be handled.
- Assuming child support is always safe. Ask DCSS about safety protections before sharing contact details.
- Moving without advice. Lease, custody, school, benefits, and protective order issues can overlap.
What to do if help is denied, delayed, or closed
If one shelter is full, ask the advocate to check nearby programs and safe alternatives. If you cannot get through to one hotline, try the national hotline, 211, or a trusted local advocacy office. If your benefits case is delayed, ask what proof is missing and write down the date, time, and name of each person you speak with.
For benefits problems, keep every notice. Some decisions have appeal deadlines. Our benefits problem guide can help you organize notices, dates, calls, and follow-up steps.
If basic items are missing after leaving, ask the advocate, 211, school social worker, or local agency about clothing, diapers, phone access, transportation, and household basics.
Backup options if the first call does not work
- Ask the hotline advocate to check nearby programs if the closest shelter is full.
- Ask 211 for food, transportation, phone, diapers, and legal referrals in your county.
- Ask the school counselor or social worker about safe pickup, McKinney-Vento help, school meals, and basic supplies.
- Ask a clinic or hospital social worker for safety, counseling, and benefits referrals.
- Ask about safe phone options. Our phone internet help guide may help after immediate safety steps.
Phone scripts you can use
Calling the hotline
“I am in Georgia and I need domestic violence help. I have children with me. I need to know about shelter, safety planning, court advocacy, and transportation. Is this a safe time to talk, or can we make a safer call plan?”
Calling the court clerk
“I need to file for a family violence protective order. Can you tell me where to go, what hours petitions are accepted, whether advocates are available, and what I should bring if I have children?”
Calling DFCS
“I left because of domestic violence and need help with food, Medicaid, TANF, or child care. I need a safe mailing address, and I may need a family violence waiver or good-cause review. Who can screen my case?”
Calling child support
“I need child support information, but there is domestic violence in my case. Before I apply, I need to know how my address, phone number, court notices, and safety concerns can be protected.”
Resumen en español
Si usted o sus hijos están en peligro inmediato, llame al 911. Para ayuda por violencia doméstica en Georgia, llame al 1-800-33-HAVEN (1-800-334-2836). También puede llamar a la LÃnea Nacional de Violencia Doméstica al 1-800-799-7233, usar chat, o enviar START al 88788.
Puede pedir ayuda con refugio, planificación de seguridad, una orden de protección, comida, cuidado infantil, vivienda, compensación para vÃctimas, y asistencia legal. Si no es seguro usar su teléfono o computadora, use un dispositivo más seguro o pida ayuda a una defensora.
FAQ
What number should I call for domestic violence help in Georgia?
Call Georgia’s statewide domestic violence hotline at 1-800-33-HAVEN (1-800-334-2836). If you are in immediate danger, call 911 first.
Can a single mother get a protective order in Georgia?
Yes, if the facts fit Georgia law. A protective order petition is filed with the Superior Court Clerk, usually in the county where the respondent lives. Georgia says there is no filing cost for a family violence protective order.
Can a protective order include children?
It may include temporary terms about children, such as custody, contact, visitation, or support, depending on the case. Ask an advocate or lawyer what to request.
Can I get help with rent if I leave abuse?
Possibly. Start with a domestic violence advocate and Georgia coordinated entry. Help depends on shelter space, funding, eligibility, safety needs, and local rules.
Should I apply for child support if there is abuse?
Child support may help, but it can create safety issues. Ask Georgia DCSS about Georgia SAVES and safety protections before you share address or contact information.
Can DFCS change benefit rules because of domestic violence?
Some TANF and child support cooperation rules may have family violence or good-cause options. Tell DFCS that safety is an issue and ask for the correct screening.
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.