25 Years of The Hotline
Answering the call since 1996.

On February 21, 1996, the National Domestic Violence Hotline answered its very first call.

In the past 25 years, we have worked tirelessly to shift power back to those affected by relationship abuse. We have answered more than 5.5 million calls, chats, and texts from survivors and their loved ones, advocated for policy change, forged lasting and meaningful partnerships, and shifted our advocacy to best meet the evolving needs of survivors. Our services have expanded to include digital chat and text. In 2007, we launched our healthy relationships and prevention services through love is respect, the first national 24/7 resource and live advocate service specifically for teens and young people.

This significant milestone in our history is not a celebration. The need for our services continues to increase; in fact, our contact volume has increased by 43% in the last five years. Needing a national hotline to serve domestic violence survivors is a somber reminder of just how pervasive this issue is. Millions of survivors needing our support due to the abuse they are experiencing is not a celebration.

But the courage of survivors is something to celebrate. We are honored to bear witness to the strength and bravery of survivors every single day. Survivors speak up and reach out for support, regardless of barriers, like a global pandemic, and at the risk of not being believed by their communities and by those they love.

Starting today, and through the end of 2021, we will be commemorating our work and sharing our vision for a future where everyone is living a life free from violence. We are proud to highlight the hard work of our advocates providing essential support, connection to resources, and personalized safety planning – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Hope is on the line every day at The Hotline.

We could not do this work without our donors and partners who have been on this journey with us, and we hope you will too. We’ll be sharing more information here as the year goes on.

Learn more about the history of The Hotline.