Where survivors of abuse can get free help in California

What happened to you is not your fault. You do not have to face it alone, and you do not need papers to ask for help.

Do Not Lose Hope is not a hotline and cannot answer calls for help. The organizations below can. This page is general information, not legal advice. For work problems in general, see Your rights at work. For immigration paths in detail, see Is there a path from DACA to a green card or citizenship?.

What if I am in danger right now?

Call 911. Use it any time you need the police, the fire department or an ambulance right away.

If you are not in danger this minute but are afraid, a 24 hour hotline can talk with you, help you think through your choices and help you plan for safety.

Who can I call any time, day or night?

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: call 800-799-7233 (800.799.SAFE), text START to 88788, or chat at thehotline.org. Free, confidential, open 24/7. Spanish site: espanol.thehotline.org. Advocates can help you make a safety plan and find local help. The Hotline does not give money directly.
• National Human Trafficking Hotline: call 1-888-373-7888 (TTY 711), text 233733, or chat at humantraffickinghotline.org. It helps survivors of sex and labor trafficking. It is open 24/7, speaks English and Spanish, and can bring in an interpreter for more than 200 other languages.
• RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: call 800-656-4673 (800.656.HOPE), text HOPE to 64673, or chat at rainn.org. Free, confidential, 24/7, in English and Spanish.

Who can help near me?

These local agencies help survivors of abuse. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

San Mateo County, including East Palo Alto

• CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse): 24 hour hotline 800-300-1080. CORA helps people facing abuse from a partner or former partner. It offers crisis support, short term safe housing if you are in danger, counseling for you and your children, and legal information, advice and representation. Its crisis counselors speak Spanish and English, and other languages are available through an interpreting service (CORA crisis services, checked October 21, 2026). corasupport.org
• Bay Area Legal Aid restraining order clinic: (650) 358-0745. The San Mateo County court sends people here for help with domestic violence restraining orders.

Santa Clara County

• Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence: 24/7 hotline 408-279-2962. Free and confidential. It offers safety planning, emergency shelter, help with restraining orders and court, counseling, support groups and services for children. nextdoorsolutions.org
• YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley: 24/7 bilingual support line 800-572-2782. Free services for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking, including crisis counseling, therapy, help with restraining orders and court, and support at sexual assault exams. Its North County center in Palo Alto serves north Santa Clara County and the East Palo Alto area. yourywca.org

Help with your job

• Legal Aid at Work, Project SURVIVE Helpline: 888-864-8335. Free, confidential legal advice for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking who want to keep their job, take time off or get changes at work while they seek safety or help. English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and other languages. Leave a voicemail; they usually call back in 2 to 3 business days. Free for people who meet its eligibility rules. Project SURVIVE Helpline

Not sure where to start? Dial 211 for help finding food, housing and other local services.

Can I get help without papers?

Yes. Not one of the hotlines or local agencies on this page says on its own site that you need papers to get help. Next Door Solutions says it supports survivors of every background and status. CalVCB says U.S. citizenship is not required to apply.

It is normal to worry. Ask about privacy before you share anything. You can say: "Do you need to know my immigration status? Who will see what I tell you?"

How do I get a restraining order?

Ask a court for one. A domestic violence restraining order is a court order that protects you from someone who has abused you. You can ask for one against a spouse or partner, someone you dated, or certain family members.

1. Fill out the court forms. You describe what happened. There is no court fee, and you do not need a lawyer.
2. A judge looks at your papers. The judge decides on a temporary order the same day or by the next business day.
3. The other person must be served with copies of the papers.
4. Go to your court hearing. You can bring witnesses and evidence. A long term order can last up to 5 years.

The whole process can take a few weeks to a few months. If you are 12 or older, you can ask for an order on your own, without a parent's permission.

Free help with the forms

• Statewide: Domestic violence restraining orders (California Courts Self Help), also in Spanish. Find your court's self help center.
• San Mateo County: the court's Self Help Center and Family Law Facilitator gives free help. Use the LiveChat on its page before you go to the Hall of Justice, 400 County Center, 6th Floor, Redwood City. For domestic violence orders, the court refers people to the Bay Area Legal Aid clinic at (650) 358-0745.
• Santa Clara County: the Restraining Order Help Center at the Family Justice Center Courthouse in San Jose. Talking with staff is free, and so are the forms. Call (408) 534-5600 and choose the Restraining Order Help Center, or walk in. If English is hard for you, the court suggests bringing someone to interpret.
• Local agencies such as CORA, Next Door Solutions and the YWCA can also help you prepare.

Can I get help paying for costs after a crime?

You may. The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) can pay back some costs from a violent crime when nothing else covers them. This can include medical and dental care, counseling, moving, home security, some lost income and more. The most it pays on one approved application is $70,000.

• Who can apply: victims of crimes in California, and California residents hurt by a crime in another state or country. U.S. citizenship is not required.
• Deadlines: apply within 7 years of the crime. If you were 21 or younger, you have until your 28th birthday. Ask to be paid back for a bill within 3 years of the date of service.
• Working with police: CalVCB asks victims to cooperate with police and courts, but says exceptions may apply for domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault.
• How to apply: online, on a paper form, or with help from an advocate. Find local help by county at victims.ca.gov/get-help, or ask one of the local agencies above. Call 800-777-9229 or email info@victims.ca.gov.

New CalVCB rules take effect January 1, 2027. Check victims.ca.gov for changes before you apply.

What goes in a safety plan?

Your plan for staying safer, now and later. An advocate on a hotline can help you build one that fits your life. The National Domestic Violence Hotline also has an online safety plan tool.

Some things many people think about:

How do I leave this page quickly?

If someone may walk in or check your device:

• To leave fast, close this tab or window. On a phone, switch to another app.
• Your history may show you were here. The National Domestic Violence Hotline says history can never be fully erased from a device, and that private or incognito mode does not stop all of it. Clear your history if it is safe to do so.
• Use a safer device when you can, one the person hurting you cannot reach. A library computer is one option, but shared computers are not private, so be careful what you look up there and sign out when you finish.
• Phones can show where you are. Apps, location settings and hidden trackers can share your location. If you think someone has put spyware on your phone, a phone service store can check it.

We may add a quick exit button to this page. Until then, closing the tab is the fastest way out.

What immigration options do survivors have?

Some survivors can apply for immigration protection. These options are separate from DACA, and each has its own rules.

• U visa: for victims of certain serious crimes, including domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.
• T visa: for victims of a severe form of human trafficking. Under federal law that includes forced sex and forced labor or services obtained through force, fraud or coercion, and any commercial sex involving a person under 18 (22 U.S.C. 7102(11)).
• VAWA: some spouses, children and parents abused by a U.S. citizen or green card holder family member can apply on their own, without the abuser knowing.

Whether any of these fits you depends on your story. Talk with a trusted immigration lawyer or a DOJ accredited representative first. See Is there a path from DACA to a green card or citizenship?, Free legal help in the Bay Area and Warning signs of an immigration scam.

Who can help?

These are free national hotlines, public offices and nonprofit agencies. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• 911: immediate danger.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233, text START to 88788. thehotline.org
• National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888, text 233733. humantraffickinghotline.org
• RAINN: 800-656-4673, text HOPE to 64673. rainn.org
• CORA (San Mateo County): 800-300-1080. corasupport.org
• Next Door Solutions (Santa Clara County): 408-279-2962. nextdoorsolutions.org
• YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley (Santa Clara County): 800-572-2782. yourywca.org
• Bay Area Legal Aid restraining order clinic (San Mateo County): (650) 358-0745
• Santa Clara County Restraining Order Help Center: (408) 534-5600
• Project SURVIVE Helpline (Legal Aid at Work): 888-864-8335
• CalVCB: 800-777-9229. victims.ca.gov

You are worth protecting. Reaching out is brave, and help is there when you are ready.