In addition to the services offered by Shelter House, the resources here provide valuable information for domestic violence victims as well as friends and family.
How We Can Help
Use these resources to help you, or someone else, get the help they need
Mission Statement:
Supporting victims of domestic and sexual violence by providing shelter, intervention and primary prevention programs to the community through education, awareness and advocating for social change.
Vision: All relationships violence free.
Founded in 1985, Shelter House is a non-profit center serving domestic and sexual violence victims and survivors in Okaloosa and Walton counties. The supportive, non-judgmental environment at Shelter House works to make every survivor feel safe, empowered and confident. Shelter House advocates use an empowerment-based model when working with survivors. We listen, present options and share resources. Our advocates do not tell victims what to do.
Violence cross all age, racial, ethnic, nation-orientation, sexual, gender preference, spiritual and socioeconomic boundaries, and Shelter House is here to serve all who seek help.
All services provided by Shelter House are free and confidential for victims and include a 24-hour domestic violence hotline, 24-hour sexual assault helpline, confidential shelter, crisis counseling, advocacy, outreach, hospital accompaniment, play therapy for children, safety planning, transitional housing, support groups, on-site pet kennel, economic empowerment classes and supportive services for family members of sexual violence victims.
The confidential emergency shelter houses up to 36 adults and children. Shelter House also has outreach offices located in Fort Walton Beach, Crestview and DeFuniak Springs.
In addition to services provided to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, Shelter House offers community education. Shelter House advocates teach primary prevention classes to youth in Okaloosa and Walton counties, working to educate teens about healthy relationships and warning signs for potentially abusive relationships. Shelter House also holds training sessions for professionals who work with domestic and sexual violence victims including law enforcement, mental health counselors and advocates at partner agencies.
Shelter House is the only state certified domestic and sexual violence center serving Okaloosa and Walton counties. The agency is certified by the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV) and the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence (FCASV).