The safety offered by The Julian Center Shelter often means the difference between life and death for women and children. Protecting shelter residents from injury or death at the hands of their abusers is a responsibility we take very seriously. We understand the risks women in violent relationships face, particularly when they take their first steps toward independence: women are at a significantly higher risk of being murdered in the first 60 days of separation from their abusive partners.

When a woman needs to get away from an abusive relationship, she can depend on The Julian Center's 24-hour shelter for women and their children who are victims of domestic violence. The shelter provides a safe, supportive environment where women can begin making significant changes in their lives. Shelter residents of all ages can take advantage of the counseling, educational, and advocacy services available during their stay.

Services for Women

Advocates and therapists at The Julian Center Shelter help women to:

Plan for the future

Cope with the trauma of leaving their homes

Obtain legal, medical, and dental assistance

Learn parenting skills for single-parent households

Acquire education and job skills to support their independence

Secure transitional or permanent housing

Pursue employment or job training opportunities

Shelter therapists also provide individual, group, and family counseling to women residents of the shelter, offering them a safe environment to express their feelings and needs during this difficult time of transition.

Services for Children

Child victims of domestic violence often lag behind their peers academically due to the stress of living in an abusive household. To support their continued education, The Julian Center operates a K-8 school for young shelter residents and provides tutors for students with additional learning needs.

Advocates and counselors at the shelter also encourage these children to express constructively their feelings about the violence they witnessed or experienced in their homes. Individual, group, and family treatment, as well as art and play therapy, are available to youth at the shelter. All throughout their shelter experience, children learn that violence is not a healthy part of interpersonal relationships and that they can seek help in violent situations.

Thrifty Threads

Shelter residents shop free of charge at The Julian Center thrift store, Thrifty Threads. Thrifty Threads also sells to the public and provides information to the community about violence against women and children.