Sanctuary for Families provides domestic violence victims, sex trafficking victims, and their children with a range of comprehensive services. 

Annually, Sanctuary reaches over 10,000 domestic violence survivors and their children through direct services alone.  Our education and awareness-building initiatives connect with over 20,000 additional concerned community members each year, including local leaders, social service and legal professionals, law enforcement officials, potential victims, and many others.

Sanctuary has nearly 150 full-time and part-time staff working out of nine office and shelter locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Through active recruitment of bilingual and bicultural staff, Sanctuary is able to offer services to clients in over 30 languages; more languages are represented by our hundreds of pro bono attorneys and volunteers.

We invite you to read more about the services we offer.

Clinical Services: Sanctuary provides a variety of clinical services (including individual and group counseling) in multiple languages by culturally competent staff.

Legal Services: Sanctuary’s Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services offers legal advice, assistance, and representation in cases involving divorce, child custody/visitation, child and spousal support, immigration and prosecution of batterers in criminal matters.

Shelter Services: Sanctuary’s shelters provide safe refuge to 200 women and children each night.

Children’s Program: Sanctuary’s Children’s Program offers individual and group counseling for children and teens, art therapy, and educational advocacy. 

Education & Outreach: Sanctuary works to raise awareness and educate community members, professionals, and policy-makers about domestic violence and the issues that victims face.

Economic Empowerment Programs: Sanctuary provides programming to lessen the effects of domestic violence on survivors who have been economically disenfranchised by abuse.

 This past year, Sanctuary provided: 

• Clinical case management/educational services (ESL, financial literacy, etc.) to 1,333 adults.
• Children’s services including individual counseling, age-appropriate support groups, and childcare for 1,782 boys and girls who have witnessed family violence.
• Post-shelter support services for 307 adults as they transitioned out of shelter, including help securing housing subsidies and other public benefits, as well as information and referrals for key family resources in new communities. 
• Intensive economic empowerment services to 533 adult clients, including targeted assistance with housing, employment, education, financial planning, childcare, and material needs.
• Financial assistance for economically disadvantaged clients, including over $250,000 in direct grants and legal fee payments for over 500 individuals (e.g. for eviction or utilities shutoff prevention, storage fees, education tuition/books, legal document filing fees).
• Extensive referrals to carefully vetted partner agencies for a wide array of additional services ranging from job training and readiness, to health care, to soup kitchens and food pantries.
• Mentoring and outreach opportunities for survivors who wish to help other victims of abuse. Last year, 47 Mentors trained in public speaking spoke at 23 events reaching 747 people.
• Training and technical assistance to legal, social service, immigrant community, government, law enforcement, and other agencies working with domestic violence survivors and children.
• Advocacy for improved laws and public policies for domestic violence victims.