State help guide
Domestic Violence Help in Tennessee
Free, confidential help in Tennessee — the state hotline and coalition, shelters near you, legal help and protective orders, and ways to keep a new address private.
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Get help now in Tennessee
Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence
The statewide crisis line listed by the National Hotline for Tennessee.
Visit the coalition’s website — local programs, shelters, and advocates across Tennessee.
National Domestic Violence Hotline — free, confidential, 24/7:
Call 1-800-799-7233 Text “START” to 88788 thehotline.org
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If this device may be monitored, use a phone or computer your abuser has never had access to — a library, a friend, a work device.
Find a shelter near you
Shelters don’t publish their street addresses — for good reason. Search by ZIP on DomesticShelters.org to find programs near you, with filters for 24/7 hotlines, emergency shelter, pets, language, and accessibility.
You can also call 2-1-1 — free and confidential — for local shelter beds, food, and support services anywhere in Tennessee, or visit 211.org.
In Tennessee, it’s called a “Order of Protection”
A court order that can require your abuser to stay away from you, your home, your work, and your children — and it’s free to file in most states. Local advocates and legal aid lawyers help with the paperwork every day.
Hide your new address: Safe at Home
Tennessee runs an address confidentiality program (often called “Safe at Home”). It gives you a legal substitute mailing address and forwards your mail, so your home, work, and school addresses stay out of public records.
Enrollment usually starts through a local domestic violence advocate — call the coalition above and ask to apply.
Make a plan before you need it
A safety plan is simply thinking through, ahead of time, what you would do in the moments that matter. Advocates at the National Hotline (1-800-799-7233) will build one with you, personalized.
Read the safety plan and go-bag checklist on the main page, and check the phone, tech, and privacy safety checklist if your device, car, or address may be giving you away.
Help in other states
Start with the state help hub for all 50 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico.
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