Domestic Violence Help and Safety Resources for Single Mothers in Wyoming

Where to start today

Choose the need that matters most now. If a call or message might be seen by the person harming you, tell the advocate before sharing details.

• Need shelter or help tonight? Contact a local domestic violence program or the National Hotline. Ask what is open, whether children and pets can be helped, and whether it serves nearby counties.
• Need a court order? Look at the Wyoming court forms, then ask an advocate or legal aid office which kind of order fits your case.
• Need food, cash, or child care? Contact the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS). Ask for safe contact methods before giving an email or mailing address.
• Need other local help? Try Wyoming 211 for shelter, food, rides, diapers, health services, and utility referrals. Its live staff are generally available on weekdays, not all night.

Quick contacts

Wyoming 211 lists live phone support during weekday business hours. The 911 and National Domestic Violence Hotline routes are better for immediate danger at night. You may also ask an advocate for language or disability access support.

Find shelter, advocacy, and local support

Wyoming’s coalition member programs serve counties and communities across the state. The Division of Victim Services directory also lists victim-witness, sexual assault, child advocacy, and other providers. These lists help you find a program near you; they do not show open shelter beds.

An advocate can listen, explain local services, talk through options for children and pets, help find emergency shelter, and refer you for legal aid. Some programs offer rides or help contacting a nearby county; these are not guaranteed. Ask about confidentiality and how the program will contact you before you give sensitive details.

If a program is not taking clients or has no space, ask for its next safe referral. A shelter may be outside your county. If you live on the Wind River Reservation or need help with a Tribal Court matter, ask for an advocate or lawyer familiar with tribal services and court rules.

Wyoming protection orders: where to start

A domestic violence order of protection is a civil court order. A judge may order a person to stop contact or abuse. An order may also cover the home, temporary custody, safer visits with children, or support if the judge includes those terms. A court order does not promise safety or replace help from a trained advocate.

Wyoming uses Circuit Court for domestic violence protection-order petitions. You may file without a lawyer. The court offers forms, and it says there is no fee to file or serve a domestic violence order. Ask the clerk which form to use, where to file, and how hearing notices and service work. A stalking or sexual-assault case may call for a different order and form.

Temporary orders and final orders

A judge may issue a short-term order before the other person is heard if the legal test is met. A hearing often follows soon, sometimes within about 72 hours. Read the date on your court notice. A final order takes a hearing. Under Wyoming Statute 35-21-106, the judge can set a final order for up to three years. An extension may be possible if legal conditions are met. The Wyoming order guide explains the three-year rule and hearing types.

Important source difference: the Wyoming Judicial Branch’s general web page still describes a one-year final order. The more recent statute allows up to three years. Do not rely on either summary to guess your deadline. Ask the clerk or a lawyer about the exact terms, end date, and renewal process in your case. Wyoming law also says a protection order generally stays in force during an appeal or review unless a court orders a stay.

Legal help with children or other cases

Ask legal help if you have an existing custody order, a divorce case, a pending criminal case, stalking, immigration concerns, or questions about firearms. A protection order can address some family issues, but it may not settle every legal matter. Ask about an address-confidentiality request if disclosing your location could create danger.

The WCADVSA legal program serves survivors statewide and describes brief help and representation. For an options call, its site says to start with a local advocacy program for a referral and conflict check. Services depend on capacity; check whether new legal cases are being accepted. You can also seek protection-order legal screening. For more county options, see our Wyoming legal help page.

Housing, leases, and safe shelter

Start with an advocate if you need a place to stay because of abuse. If nearby shelter is full, ask about other counties, safe transportation, hotel options if funded, and housing referrals. You can also use the DFS homeless services directory. For longer-term choices and housing offices, our Wyoming housing guide is a useful next step.

Federal VAWA rights in covered housing

If you apply for or live in certain federally assisted housing, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) gives survivors housing protections. Under HUD’s VAWA housing guidance, a covered housing provider generally may not deny help or evict you because you experienced covered abuse or because of certain events directly linked to it. You may be able to ask for an emergency transfer, but another unit may not be available right away. You can ask about confidentiality and a written notice of your rights.

VAWA does not mean every private rental has the same federal rules or that missed rent never matters. HUD’s housing rights notice explains covered programs, rights, and transfer requests. Ask your housing agency, advocate, or legal aid office which rules apply to your home.

Wyoming Safe Homes Act: important limits

Wyoming’s Safe Homes Act says a landlord may not end a tenancy solely because a tenant, applicant, or household member has experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence. It also sets out specific defenses in some rent disputes after a tenant leaves because of abuse.

Do not assume your lease ends automatically. The law has proof rules and written-notice conditions, including a seven-day prior notice requirement for the listed rent defenses and a 60-day timing rule in one situation, with exceptions. Those rules can affect whether rent is still owed. Do not send a notice or take a housing step that may make you less safe just to meet a rule. Ask an advocate or qualified lawyer about your own lease, timing, and safety before relying on the law.

Food, cash, health care, and child care after abuse

Abuse may disrupt work, housing, mail, rides, school, or access to money. Public benefits can help with some of those costs, but they are separate programs and do not promise same-day help. You can ask a worker for a safe way to get notices, keep a case number, and explain missing documents.

Wyoming’s ECARES child care system lets parents look for child care and check help options. If abuse makes work, training, or interviews hard, explain that to the DFS worker and ask which rules or exceptions may apply. For food-application details, see our Wyoming SNAP guide. For cash benefits, use our Wyoming TANF guide. For child care steps, see Wyoming child care help.

If you are unsure which program to ask about first, our Wyoming assistance guide covers broader benefit paths. Benefits, subsidies, services, and crime-victim compensation are not all grants or instant cash.

Children, school, custody, and child support

If children are involved, ask an advocate or lawyer how current orders affect school pickup, visits, health care, or child exchanges. You may wish to ask school or child care staff about safe pickup instructions, but do not share personal details or change a plan in a way that may increase danger. If you have more than one court order, ask a lawyer to check how the orders work together.

Child support cooperation when it is not safe

Child support actions can sometimes bring new threats or unwanted contact. The Wyoming child support Good Cause policy says an eligible parent may ask not to cooperate with child support actions when doing so could harm a child or caretaker. This is a decision under program rules, not an automatic exemption.

Which office decides matters: Wyoming’s Child Support Program handles Good Cause decisions for POWER/TANF families. A person asked to cooperate with child support because of Medicaid must seek Good Cause through the Wyoming Department of Health, not assume a TANF decision will cover Medicaid. Tell the worker you have a family violence concern and need safe contact. Ask what proof, form, review, or confidentiality steps may be available.

The child support policy also says caseworkers should not take steps to establish or collect support while a Good Cause request is pending, approved, or under appeal under that policy. Ask the worker how this applies to your file; do not assume an existing court order has changed. Our Wyoming child support guide covers broader court and agency issues. For national safety and legal background, see domestic violence safety help and family safety legal help.

Documents to gather, only if safe

Do not put yourself at risk to collect papers. Ask an advocate whether an office can start helping without originals, accept other proof, or replace missing documents. You can ask each office how to keep a safe mailing address, email, or phone on file.

Save safe copies of application receipts, case numbers, and decision notices when possible. Court, rent, and benefit deadlines may differ. Always read the notice for your own case.