Emergency Safe House:
The cornerstone of our compassionate and comprehensive services for both female and male survivors, our emergency Safe House offers a confidential and secure location for survivors and their families fleeing violence. Survivors are provided with family housing for 30-60 days, counseling, case management, assistance in finding housing, and other supportive services regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The Safe House is completely handicap accessible.
180 believes that no one should have to choose between their own personal safety and leaving their pet behind in a dangerous situation. Therefore, our Safe House is equipped with pet-friendly rooms.
The Safe House Features
- 12 Individual Family Bedroom Suites with Private Baths
- Communal Kitchen, Dining, and Living Areas
- Laundry Facilities
- Teen Recreation Room
- 2 Creative Arts Therapy Studios with Counseling Available for Parents and Children
- Counseling Rooms
- Computer/Library Resource Room
- Individual Storage Units for Each Family
- Outdoor Playground and Garden
- 180’s Safe House was the first Federally funded domestic violence shelter in the United States.
- The Safe House is currently the largest domestic violence shelter in the State of New Jersey housing nearly 200 families annually.
- 180 is home to the only Safe House in the State with the ability to comfortably house both male and female survivors.
- Survivors may now escape abuse along with their pet as 180’s Safe House has pet-friendly accomodations.
Resources at the Safe House
We provide survivor families with all basic needs, including food, toiletries, and clothing, and empower them to work towards independent living during their stay. Additional Safe House resources include experienced advocates who help survivors envision an abuse-free future, caring counselors who provide the tools to establish a safe new path forward, support finding employment and permanent housing, education, resume writing, and budgeting. 180’s legal advocates can also assist residents in seeking restraining orders if needed.
Advocacy for Youth
The Safe House’s Residential Youth Advocate strives to provide a welcoming environment for children as soon as their family arrives by providing them with an age-appropriate tour of their temporary home and a welcome bag with items to make their stay comfortable. Once the family settles in, counseling assessments are completed to understand the needs of each individual. The Youth Advocate works with each child to process the abuse they may have witnessed, and supports them as they adjust to their new environment and, in some cases, a new school, too. Advocates also incorporate creative arts, drama, music, and play therapy into counseling for children and teens.
“The Safe House saved me; it was there I set a new direction, a new path forward.”
We are proud of our history and our progress — especially with our Safe House, which has been an essential part of our life saving programs for more than three decades. Our “founding mothers” determined early on that an emergency shelter should be a critical component of saving and changing the lives of victims and theit children. The building itself has changed and expanded over the years and we are proud of our achievements including:
- 180’s Safe House was the first Federally funded domestic violence shelter in the United States.
- The Safe House is currently the largest domestic violence shelter in the State of New Jersey housing nearly 200 families annually.
- 180 is home to the only Safe House in the State with the ability to comfortably house both male and female survivors.
- Survivors may now escape abuse along with their pet as 180’s Safe House has pet-friendly accomodations.