arden house domestic violence emergency shelter

DV HOTLINE     410.222.6800

Arden House, the YWCA emergency domestic violence shelter, opened its doors in 1984 and to date has served over 1,000 women and children fleeing abusive relationships. The house provides safe shelter and support services to single and parenting women who are victims of domestic violence.

Arden House is the only domestic violence shelter in Anne Arundel County and it runs the county's only domestic violence hotline.  Arden House is a 24-hour, 21-bed crisis facility which is open 365 days per year. The shelter is confidential.

The shelter provides a variety of support services: case management, individual and group therapy, financial assistance, career counseling, educational groups, and more.

The shelter is staffed by dedicated and compassionate women who believe that women and children deserve to live in a home without the fear of violence, humiliation or denigration. In the year ending June 30, 2005, the shelter provided 1,981 bed nights to 46 women and 1,451 bed nigths to 71 children that had fled domestic violence in their home. In fiscal year 2005, the hotline received 2,794 calls compared with 2,077 in fiscal year 2004.  Most residents of Arden House call our hotline, in crisis, after an abusive incident with their partner.  They seek a safe place to recuperate both emotionally and physically.  At Arden House, women and children find safety and begin to create abuse-free and safe lives and increase their access to community support services.

The women and children we serve often come from chaotic and unstable environments and they rely on the shelter's consistent nurturing and positive atmosphere to help them begin to heal. As we are a crisis shelter, families can reside with us for up to 30 days, and thereafter can apply for an extension if they meet certain criteria.

Call 410-222-6800 for more information about Arden House.