The national domestic violence hotline (the hotline) proposes enhancing the capacity of the national domestic violence hotline to provide crisis intervention services, safety planning, information,…

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime awarded the National Domestic Violence Hotline a $2 million cooperative agreement on October 1, 2025, under the Crime Victim Assistance/Discretionary Grants program (CFDA 16.582) to expand crisis intervention capacity and increase the volume of contacts the hotline can answer.

The Hotline will use the funding to hire live advocates, enabling an estimated 12,000 additional contacts to be answered annually. Services delivered include crisis intervention, safety planning, emotional support, and referrals to local providers. The Hotline operates 24/7/365 across phone, chat, and text platforms, serving victims of domestic violence, their families, friends, and individuals seeking to change abusive behavior. Services are confidential and trauma-informed, available nationwide in multiple languages.

The award runs through September 30, 2028, with place of performance in Austin, Texas. The Hotline will also participate in the National Hotline Consortium to share promising practices and strengthen collaboration across national hotlines. The program goal supports development, expansion, and strengthening of victim service programs to increase access to direct services for victims of crime.

The national domestic violence hotline (the hotline) proposes enhancing the capacity of the national domestic violence hotline to provide crisis intervention services, safety planning, information, referrals, and resources for victims of crime to expand its ability to deliver confidential, trauma-informed support nationwide. The hotline is the only national resource offering 24/7/365 live advocacy by phone, chat, and text to victims, their families, friends, and abusive partners seeking to change their behavior. Through this initiative, the hotline will secure live advocates, enabling an estimated 12,000 more contacts to be answered each year. Services will include crisis intervention, safety planning, emotional support, and referrals to local providers. The hotline will also participate in the national hotline consortium to share promising practices, strengthen collaboration, and improve coordinated responses across national hotlines.