Last updated: June 19, 2026
Bottom line
If you are a single mother, pregnant mother, caregiver, or single parent in Maryland dealing with domestic violence, start with safety first. You do not have to know every legal term before you ask for help.
If you or your children are in danger right now, call 911 if it is safe to do that. For private support, call the National Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or use chat when your device is safe. In Maryland, House of Ruth lists a 24-hour hotline at 410-889-7884.
This guide is general information. It is not legal advice or a personal safety plan. A domestic violence advocate, lawyer, court clerk, police officer, health worker, or licensed professional can help you think through your own situation.
Urgent help in Maryland
If the person hurting you can see your phone, email, location, browser history, apps, or messages, use a safer device if you can. A public library, trusted friend, clinic, school, courthouse, or advocacy office may be safer than a shared device.
Immediate danger
Call 911, go to a safer public place, or ask a trusted person to call for help if you cannot call safely.
Confidential support
Call, text, or chat with the National Hotline. Ask for safety planning, shelter referrals, and Maryland local programs.
Maryland hotline
Call House of Ruth Maryland at 410-889-7884. Ask about shelter, counseling, legal help, and referrals.
Local programs
Use the MNADV directory to find domestic violence programs by county.
Where to start
The right first step depends on what is happening today. You may need a safer place, a protective order, child care, food, legal help, school support, or time away from work.
Maryland quick reference
| Need | Start here | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Danger today | 911 or a safer public place | Emergency help for you, your children, and pets if needed. |
| Safety planning | National Hotline or House of Ruth | Ask for confidential support, local shelter screening, and safer next steps. |
| Local DV program | MNADV provider list | Ask for advocacy, counseling, shelter, legal referrals, and child support services. |
| Court protection | Maryland Courts help | Ask about protective orders, peace orders, filing, hearings, and address privacy. |
| Court closed | District commissioners | Ask where to file for an interim order when courts are not open. |
| Food, cash, health care | Maryland Benefits | Ask how to apply for SNAP, TCA, medical help, and other benefits. |
Protective orders in Maryland
A protective order is a court order that may tell another person to stop abusing, threatening, contacting, or coming near you. Maryland Courts says a protective order can also address staying away from your home, work, or school; leaving a home in some cases; temporary child custody; pets; child care safeguards; and firearms.
Protective orders are only for certain relationships and situations. If your relationship does not fit Maryland protective order rules, ask about a peace order. Do not guess which one you need. A clerk, court help center, domestic violence advocate, or lawyer can help you ask the right questions.
| Order type | When it may happen | Important note |
|---|---|---|
| Interim order | When courts are closed and a commissioner reviews the request. | It is short-term. Your papers should show the next court date. |
| Temporary order | When a judge reviews your request during court hours or after an interim order. | Track the hearing date, service status, and what the order says. |
| Final order | After a court hearing, agreement, or evidence. | Maryland Courts says final protective orders can provide safeguards for up to one year. |
| Peace order | When a protective order does not fit the relationship or facts. | Ask the court or legal help if this is the better court path. |
Tip for parents
Tell the advocate or clerk about school pickup, child care, shared phones, car use, custody orders, pets, firearms, and where the other person might show up. Those details can matter when you ask what the court can address.
Some Maryland protective order petitions may be filed electronically from approved places, such as domestic violence programs, sexual assault programs, human trafficking programs, child advocacy centers, vulnerable adult programs, hospitals where the petitioner is receiving medical treatment, or another approved location. If that matters for your safety, ask a local advocate before you travel.
Keep your address safer
If putting your address on court papers could put you at risk, ask about address privacy before you file. Maryland Courts says you can ask to use the address privacy form for some domestic violence filings.
Maryland also has the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program through the Secretary of State. It may give approved participants a substitute address and mail forwarding. The program is for people and families fleeing or at risk from domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, stalking, or harassment.
Safe at Home applications must go through a trained Application Assistant. The Safe at Home FAQ says a survivor can call 410-260-3875 to find an Application Assistant. This program does not replace shelter, police help, a protective order, or an advocate.
If a protective order has been issued, Maryland’s VPO service can send notifications about protective order status. Do not rely only on alerts for safety. Use alerts as one tool, along with an advocate and the court.
Shelter, advocacy, counseling, and legal help
Domestic violence programs do more than shelter. Depending on the program, county, staffing, funding, and your safety needs, they may help with safety planning, shelter screening, counseling, support groups, legal referrals, court help, children’s services, basic needs, and housing referrals.
If one program cannot help right away, ask it to check nearby counties or connect you to 211. You can also use ASMOM’s domestic violence hub for national safety and legal next steps.
- 211 Maryland: Use 211 domestic violence resources to search for hotlines, shelter, sexual assault support, food, and other local help.
- People’s Law Library: The protective orders guide explains Maryland court steps in plain language.
- House of Ruth legal clinic: Its free legal services page lists help with protective orders, custody, child support, divorce, address confidentiality, and related issues when services are available.
- Maryland Legal Aid: Its legal aid intake page explains free civil legal services for financially eligible people.
- Maryland Court Help Centers: The court help center provides free help with civil court questions for people without a lawyer.
For related ASMOM help, see legal and safety and Maryland child support. If child support contact with the other parent could be unsafe, talk with an advocate or lawyer before you move forward.
Housing, work, school, and crime-related costs
Leaving abuse can affect rent, work, transportation, school, child care, medical care, and mail. Maryland has some legal protections and help paths, but each one has rules.
Lease and housing issues
Maryland law allows some tenants or legal occupants who are victims of abuse to end future lease liability after written notice and proof rules are met. The official lease law is specific, so talk with legal aid or a domestic violence legal clinic before giving notice if you can do so safely.
If you also need rent, shelter, or eviction help, ASMOM’s Maryland housing page and Maryland emergency help page can help you find public and local options.
Safe leave from work
Maryland’s earned sick and safe leave notice says larger covered employers must provide paid sick and safe leave for certain workers, while smaller covered employers must provide unpaid sick and safe leave for certain workers. The safe leave notice includes leave related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
If work, pregnancy, leave, or job safety is part of the problem, ASMOM’s Maryland workplace rights page may help you prepare questions before you call HR, legal aid, or the Maryland Department of Labor.
School support
If you and your children had to leave home, tell the school you need help with unstable housing. Maryland’s homeless education page lists McKinney-Vento support and local coordinators. Ask about school enrollment, transportation, meals, and keeping children connected to school when safe.
Crime victim compensation
The Maryland Criminal Injuries Compensation Board may help some crime victims with eligible crime-related costs. Start with the official CICB page and ask an advocate to help you gather papers. Do not assume approval or a certain payment amount. The board reviews applications under its rules.
Money, food, health care, and child care
Domestic violence can create a money crisis fast. These programs are not domestic violence programs, but they can help you stabilize. Rules can change, and each agency may ask for proof.
| Program | What it may help with | Where to start | Reality check |
|---|---|---|---|
| SNAP | Food for your household. | Use the Maryland SNAP page or Maryland Benefits. | You must apply, be interviewed, and verify details. Some households may qualify for expedited SNAP. |
| TCA | Cash help for some families with dependent children. | Start at Maryland TCA. | Ask about safety and child support cooperation if contact with the other parent could put you at risk. |
| Medicaid and MCHP | Health coverage for eligible adults, pregnant people, and children. | Use Medicaid apply. | You may need to send proof. Save all notices if coverage is denied, delayed, or closed. |
| WIC | Food, nutrition help, and breastfeeding support for pregnant people, new parents, babies, and young children. | Use WIC apply. | Maryland WIC says to make an appointment with a local agency or through the client portal. |
| Child Care Scholarship | Child care costs for eligible families. | Check the CCS freeze page. | Maryland still posts a temporary enrollment freeze for new families that began May 1, 2025. |
For deeper state help, use ASMOM’s Maryland food help, Maryland TANF, Maryland WIC, Maryland child care, and Maryland health care pages. For a wider state overview, use Maryland assistance.
Documents and details to gather if safe
You do not need every paper before asking for help. If gathering documents could alert the person hurting you, ask an advocate what matters most. Bring or save copies only when it is safe.
| Need | Helpful details | Safety note |
|---|---|---|
| Protective order | Dates, places, threats, injuries, police reports, photos, texts, voicemails, witnesses, child safety concerns. | Do not store proof where the other person can see it. |
| Shelter or advocacy | County, children’s ages, pets, medical needs, school needs, transportation, language needs, accessibility needs. | Ask what is confidential before giving details. |
| Benefits | Identity, income, rent, utilities, child care costs, household members, Social Security numbers if available. | Say if sharing an address or parent information is unsafe. |
| Lease or job help | Lease, pay stubs, work schedule, employer notices, court orders, advocate letters, medical notes. | Ask legal aid before giving private safety details to a landlord or employer. |
For a broader list, use ASMOM’s documents checklist.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using an unsafe device. If calls, texts, emails, location, or browser history are monitored, use a safer device if you can.
- Waiting for proof. You can call a hotline or advocate before you have police reports, photos, or court papers.
- Skipping address privacy. Ask about court address privacy and Safe at Home before putting a new address on papers.
- Missing court dates. If you file for an order, write down every hearing date and ask what happens next.
- Not naming child needs. Ask about school pickup, child care, custody, phones, pets, and transportation.
- Relying on one program. Shelter, legal aid, benefits, and housing help can each have limits. Work more than one path when safe.
If you are denied, delayed, or overwhelmed
If a shelter, hotline, or legal office cannot help right away, ask for a referral to another county or nearby program. Ask 211 to search by ZIP code, language, disability access, pets, and children’s ages.
If benefits are denied, delayed, or closed, save the notice and appeal deadline. Ask what proof is missing. A domestic violence advocate or legal aid office may help you explain safety concerns, address confidentiality, missed appointments, or child support cooperation issues.
ASMOM’s benefits problems guide can help you prepare questions, but the official notice controls your deadline.
Backup options
When the first door is closed, try another safe path:
- Ask a domestic violence program to check nearby counties for shelter or legal help.
- Ask 211 for food pantries, crisis housing, community action agencies, and transportation help in your ZIP code.
- Ask your child’s school counselor or McKinney-Vento liaison about school support if you had to leave home.
- Ask a clinic, hospital social worker, or therapist for referrals and documentation help.
- Ask a legal aid office about housing, custody, benefits, work leave, and address privacy.
- Use ASMOM’s community action help and transportation help guides for related needs.
Phone scripts you can use
Calling a domestic violence hotline
“Hi, I am in Maryland and I need confidential help. I have children with me. I need to know my safest options for shelter, court, and legal help. Can you tell me what information you need and what stays private?”
Calling the court or commissioner
“I need information about filing for a protective order or peace order. Is the court open now? If not, where is the nearest commissioner? I also need to ask how to keep my address private.”
Calling DSS about benefits
“I am a single parent in a domestic violence situation and need food, cash, health care, or emergency help. Before I share an address or child support information, can someone explain safety and confidentiality options?”
Calling work or HR
“I need to ask about safe leave related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Please tell me what notice or paperwork you require and how my information will be kept private.”
Resumen en español
Si usted o sus hijos están en peligro inmediato en Maryland, llame al 911 si es seguro hacerlo. También puede llamar a la Línea Nacional de Violencia Doméstica al 1-800-799-7233 o enviar START al 88788. En Maryland, House of Ruth Maryland tiene una línea de ayuda las 24 horas: 410-889-7884.
Puede pedir ayuda con seguridad, refugio, una orden de protección, asistencia legal, comida, Medicaid, cuidado infantil, vivienda y privacidad de dirección. Si compartir su dirección puede ser peligroso, pregunte sobre privacidad de dirección y Safe at Home antes de dar una nueva dirección.
Esta guía es información general. No es consejo legal ni un plan personal de seguridad. Hable con una defensora, abogada, tribunal, policía, clínica o agencia oficial para recibir ayuda para su caso.
FAQs about domestic violence help in Maryland
Who should I call first if I am unsafe in Maryland?
Call 911 if you or your children are in immediate danger and it is safe to call. For confidential help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or House of Ruth Maryland at 410-889-7884.
Can I file for a protective order in Maryland?
Maybe. Maryland protective orders depend on the relationship and the facts. If a protective order does not fit, ask the court or legal help whether a peace order may fit your situation.
Can I file when the court is closed?
Maryland uses District Court commissioners when courts are closed. A commissioner may review a request for an interim protective order or interim peace order and set the next court date.
Can Maryland help keep my address private?
Yes, there are address privacy options. Ask the court about address privacy forms, and ask a trained Safe at Home Application Assistant about the Maryland Address Confidentiality Program.
Can domestic violence affect benefits or child support?
It can. Some benefit rules may involve child support cooperation or contact with the other parent. If that contact could be unsafe, tell DSS and ask a domestic violence advocate or legal aid office for help.
Can I get rent or moving help after abuse?
Maybe. Maryland has a lease law for some victims of abuse, and local programs may have housing help. Talk with legal aid or a domestic violence legal clinic before giving notice to a landlord if you can do so safely.
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 19, 2026, next review September 19, 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.