Domestic violence services for women are anchored by the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE), the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and a state coalition in every state coordinated through the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). VAWA funds shelters, transitional housing, legal services, and immigration relief (U-visa, T-visa, VAWA self-petition). Survivors can obtain civil protective orders, address-confidentiality through state ACP programs, and victim advocates through local prosecutor offices. The National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-HOPE) and StrongHearts Native Helpline serve specific survivor populations. This directory includes hotlines, shelters, state DV coalitions, and protective order resources.
Iowa district courts hear family cases in all 99 counties, with the Child Support Recovery Unit under the Department of Human Services managing enforcement. Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Sioux City are the largest metros. Iowa Legal Aid and the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence support women, with self-represented litigant coordinators in every county.
ICADV at 515 28th Street in Des Moines is the federally designated state coalition that funds and trains the network of local DV shelters across Iowa. The coalition does not provide direct services to survivors but maintains the statewide referral list and runs systems advocacy with prosecutors and judges. Call 515-244-8028 for shelter referrals.
515-244-8028 · 515 28th St Suite 104, Des Moines, IA 50312 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website
The Hotline at 800-799-7233 connects survivors to advocates who can talk through safety planning, locate an Iowa shelter with current capacity, and stay on the line while a woman packs a go bag. Chat, text START to 88788, and TTY 800-787-3224 options are also available.
800-799-7233 · National Service · 24/7 · Visit Website
CFI operates the central Iowa shelter and 24/7 hotline serving Polk and surrounding counties; the confidential location and 515-288-1981 number handle intake for the emergency shelter, transitional housing, and the children's program. Civil legal advocates can attend protective order hearings with survivors.
515-288-1981 · Des Moines, IA (confidential location) · 24/7 Hotline · Visit Website
Waypoint Services is the lead DV provider for Linn, Benton, Iowa, Jones, and surrounding eastern Iowa counties, with emergency shelter, transitional housing, and a homeless services arm at separate sites. The 319-365-1458 hotline runs 24/7 and dispatches advocates who can meet a survivor at the hospital or police station.
319-365-1458 · Cedar Rapids, IA (confidential location) · 24/7 Hotline · Visit Website
Family Resources serves the Quad Cities region from confidential locations in Davenport and across the river, with a 24/7 hotline at 563-326-0141 and beds for survivors and their children. Counselors are also trained in human trafficking response and child sexual abuse evaluation.
563-326-0141 · Davenport, IA (confidential location) · 24/7 Hotline · Visit Website
The YWCA of Dubuque runs the only DV shelter in Dubuque County, with a 24/7 hotline at 563-588-4016 staffed by advocates trained in trauma-informed crisis response. Children's advocacy, court accompaniment, and transitional housing referrals are part of the standard package.
563-588-4016 · Dubuque, IA (confidential location) · 24/7 Hotline
CASA of Sioux City is the lead DV provider for Woodbury and surrounding counties, serving women from a confidential shelter location and answering its 712-258-3361 hotline at all hours. The agency also coordinates the local Sexual Assault Response Team that responds to forensic exams at MercyOne and UnityPoint hospitals.
712-258-3361 · Sioux City, IA (confidential location) · 24/7 Hotline
The Outreach Center in Fort Dodge serves Webster County and the surrounding rural region with a 24/7 hotline at 515-955-4357, emergency shelter beds, and dedicated sexual assault advocacy. Rural transportation help is part of intake because public transit options are limited in this part of Iowa.
515-955-4357 · Fort Dodge, IA (confidential location) · 24/7 Hotline
Thehotline.org runs the federally funded national DV hotline reachable by phone, text, or live chat; advocates do not share information with law enforcement and the chat does not save in browser history if a survivor uses the safe exit button. The site also indexes state coalition contacts for Iowa.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Loveisrespect, a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, focuses on teens and young adults experiencing dating abuse with a 866-331-9474 line, chat, and text option LOVEIS to 22522. Quizzes on relationship red flags and digital abuse are particularly accessible to high school and college-age women.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
StrongHearts at 1-844-7NATIVE is the Native-centered DV hotline run jointly by the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center and the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Advocates are familiar with tribal jurisdiction issues that matter for Meskwaki Nation women and other Native women in Iowa.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
NCADV is the membership organization of state DV coalitions, including ICADV; its public site indexes survivor stories, federal policy updates on VAWA reauthorization, and a Public Policy Action Center where Iowa survivors can submit comments on pending bills.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Futures Without Violence develops the curriculum many Iowa health-care providers use to screen for intimate partner violence during routine visits and runs the national resource center on workplace responses to abuse. The site is heavy on prevention research and corporate partnership models.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
DomesticShelters.org is the largest searchable directory of DV programs in the US, with each Iowa entry showing services offered, languages spoken, and pet-friendliness — a make-or-break factor for women who will not leave without their animal. The site does not list confidential shelter addresses but provides intake numbers.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
API-GBV is the national clearinghouse for culturally specific responses to violence against Asian and Pacific Islander women, with technical assistance for Iowa providers serving Hmong, Burmese, and Pacific Islander communities. The site translates safety planning materials into more than 50 Asian languages.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Casa de Esperanza is the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities, building the capacity of Iowa providers to serve Spanish-speaking survivors. The bilingual realidades.org platform offers free safety planning, legal information, and online support groups for Latina mothers.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
OVW administers the federal grants — STOP, ICJR, Rural, Tribal — that fund Iowa's DV shelters, prosecutor units, and forensic nurse programs. Survivors do not interact directly with OVW, but understanding which grant funds a local service can clarify what is and isn't required of providers.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to the nearest local rape crisis center — for Iowa survivors that often means CASA Sioux City, the Outreach Center in Fort Dodge, or Riverview Center in Dubuque. The online chat at online.rainn.org is fully anonymous.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website