When You Have Decided to Leave: Help for Victims of Domestic Violence

First, a note about safety

If you are in immediate danger right now, call 911.

Computers and phones keep records of the pages you visit. If there is any chance someone monitors your device, you might choose to read this page on a safer device, such as a work or library computer or a trusted friend's phone, or in your browser's private mode. Private mode hides pages from the device's history, but it does not defeat monitoring software, so a safer device is the stronger option when you have one. The Safety Net project has clear, free guides on phone and computer monitoring, location tracking, and safer browsing.

And whatever else you take from this page, take this: the National Domestic Violence Hotline is there 24 hours a day, every day, free and confidential. Call 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or chat live on their website. You can reach out before you have a plan, before you are sure, before you are ready. They will meet you exactly where you are.

You are not doing this alone

If you have decided to leave, we believe you, and we are glad you found this page. Leaving is hard, and it can be dangerous, which is exactly why so much help exists for this moment. Colorado has advocates whose whole job is helping people leave safely, shelters that answer the phone at 3 am, courts that can often protect you the same day you ask, and programs that help with money, mail, and housing afterward. This page gathers them with plain explanations of what each one does.

Two things we want to say clearly before the list begins. First, this page is general information only. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney client relationship with Cruz Law. The organizations listed are independent of our firm, and their hours and programs can change, so confirm details with them directly. Second, nothing on this page is an instruction. You know your situation, and your safety, better than anyone. Where we describe steps, they are options, and phrases like "if it is safe to do so" mean exactly that: you are the judge of what is safe.

Planning to leave safely

People who work with survivors every day say the same thing: leaving goes better with a plan, and you do not have to build that plan by yourself.

Make the plan with an advocate

The Hotline's Plan for Safety hub covers planning to leave, safety with children, pet safety, and technology safety, and includes a tool for building a personal safety plan. Their advocates are available around the clock to build one with you, for your exact situation. Locally, the advocacy programs listed further down this page do safety planning too, in person, for free.

Documents and essentials, if it is safe to gather them

Advocates often suggest quietly setting aside, or copying, things that are hard to replace: identification, birth certificates, social security cards, immigration papers, financial records, medications and prescriptions, any protection orders or court papers, spare keys, some cash, and a few things that matter to you and your children. Copies can live at a trusted person's home. If gathering any of this would put you at risk, leave it. Documents can be replaced. You cannot.

Technology, quietly

Abusers sometimes track phones, read messages, or monitor accounts. The Safety Net project explains how to check for this and what to do about it. A few ideas advocates commonly raise, each one only if it fits your situation: use a safer device for anything about leaving, set up a new email account the abuser has never seen, review location sharing on your phone and your children's devices, and be thoughtful about suddenly deleting histories or accounts, because an abrupt change can itself draw attention. An advocate can help you think through the order of these steps.

Protection orders

A civil protection order, which many people call a restraining order, is a court order that tells the abuser what they may not do. It is one of the strongest tools Colorado gives you, it is free, and you can ask for one the same day you decide you need it. Our page on protection orders walks through the process in more depth. Here is what matters most when you are leaving.

• You do not need a police report. Under C.R.S. 13-14-104.5, you can ask for a protection order whether or not the abuse was ever reported, and whether or not anyone was charged with a crime.
• Temporary orders often come the same day. A judge can grant a temporary protection order the day you file, after hearing only your side. That is the usual outcome, though it is not guaranteed, and depending on the court and when you file it can take longer. The court then sets a hearing, within 14 days, on whether to make the order permanent. Going to that hearing matters: if you do not appear, the temporary order expires.
• The order can do a lot. Under C.R.S. 13-14-105, a judge can order the abuser not to contact or come near you, exclude them from the home even if their name is on the lease or deed, keep them away from your work and your children's school, award you temporary care and control of your children for up to a year, require supervised parenting time, protect pets, and order the abuser to keep making payments they have been making, such as rent, utilities, insurance, or child care.
• It costs nothing. Under C.R.S. 13-14-109, the court may not charge a domestic violence victim a filing fee, no agency may charge to serve the order, and certified copies are free. At the permanent hearing, the judge can order the abuser to pay costs.
• You can file where it is practical. The case can be filed in any county where the abuse happened or where either of you lives or works. The main forms are JDF 402, the complaint, and JDF 404 if children are involved, and the courts' protection orders self-help page has all of them with instructions. In Denver, as of this writing, applications are taken in person at the City and County Building clerk's office Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 9:00 in the morning, so plan for an early start.
• Nights and weekends are covered. Under C.R.S. 13-14-103, a judge is on call in every judicial district when courts are closed. If an officer believes you are in immediate danger, the officer can reach that judge for an emergency protection order that bridges you to the courthouse opening.
• You do not have to file alone. Project Safeguard provides free legal advocates who help survivors through the protection order process in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, and Denver counties, phone 720-618-3482, with advocates reachable weekdays as of this writing. Many of the organizations in the next section have court advocates too.

If the police are involved, or become involved

Colorado is a mandatory arrest state. Under C.R.S. 18-6-803.6, when an officer has probable cause to believe a crime involving domestic violence occurred, the officer must arrest the person and remove them from the scene. It is not something you have to request, and it is not something an officer can simply talk everyone out of. If charges are filed, C.R.S. 18-1-1001 puts a mandatory protection order in place automatically, from the first court appearance until the criminal case ends, and in domestic violence cases the court can order the defendant to stay away and to move out of the home. Many survivors still file the civil order as well, because the civil order is yours: it does not disappear when the criminal case does.

Two more things are worth knowing if there is a criminal case. Colorado's Victim Rights Act entitles domestic violence victims to be treated with fairness, respect, and dignity, and to be informed of and heard at critical stages of the case; the district attorney's office in your judicial district has victim witness specialists to help. And VINE provides free, confidential notifications when the offender's custody status changes, by text, email, phone, or app, with a 24/7 support line at 1-866-277-7477.

Somewhere to go

You do not have to know tonight where you will live next year. Emergency shelters exist for exactly this moment, and the advocacy programs that run them also help many people who never stay in a shelter at all: safety planning, support groups, counseling, help at court, and someone who picks up the phone at any hour.

Statewide, Violence Free Colorado's survivor resources directory is the way to find the program nearest you. It is searchable by city, ZIP code, or any of Colorado's 64 counties. Many of these community programs are funded through the state's Domestic Violence Program, and their services are free, voluntary, and confidential.

In the Denver metro area, these are the established programs, with details current as of this writing:

• SafeHouse Denver runs a 24 hour crisis line at (303) 318-9989, an emergency shelter, an extended stay program, and a counseling and advocacy center for survivors and their children in Denver.
• Family Tree serves all seven Denver metro counties with a 24 hour crisis line at 303-420-6752 and the Roots of Courage confidential shelter in the Jefferson County area, with services in English and Spanish and interpretation for other languages.
• SPAN serves Boulder and Broomfield counties with a 24 hour crisis line at (303) 444-2424 and an emergency shelter with stays up to six weeks. Through a partnership with the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, your pets can come too or be placed in confidential foster care.
• The Rose Andom Center, 720-337-4400, is Denver's family justice center at 1330 Fox Street: counseling, victim advocacy, legal information, and a health clinic under one roof, with weekday walk-in hours.
• PorchLight Family Justice Center, 720-853-8850, is Jefferson County's version in Lakewood, open weekdays with no appointment required.
• Broomfield's Victim Services Unit, 303-438-6471, has victim advocates on call 24/7 for crisis help, referrals, and support through the justice process.
• An Adams and Broomfield Family Justice Center in Westminster is anticipated to open in 2026. Until then, Project Safeguard and Broomfield Victim Services cover those counties.

One more number, because leaving is heavy even when it is right: 988 Colorado is the state's 24/7 mental health and crisis line. Call or text 988 any time, in English or Spanish. Needing that number at some point in this process is normal, not weakness.

Money, mail, and a place of your own

Money keeps many people in dangerous homes. These programs exist to change that.

• Crime victim compensation. Colorado's Crime Victim Compensation program can pay crime related costs that matter enormously when you leave: relocation expenses, rekeying locks and other security measures, medical and dental care, counseling, lost wages, and child care. Domestic violence is expressly covered. The crime generally must be reported to law enforcement and you must reasonably cooperate with the case, though local boards can waive requirements for good cause. You apply through the program in the judicial district where the crime happened, and the page above links every district.
• A confidential address. The Colorado Address Confidentiality Program, run by the state Department of Personnel and Administration, gives survivors a legal substitute address and free mail forwarding, so your real address stays out of public records after you move. Every state and local government agency must accept the substitute address. You qualify if you fear for your safety and have relocated within the past 90 days or are planning to relocate, and your children can enroll with you. Enrollment goes through a trained application assistant at a victim services agency; the program's site lists locations, and its phone numbers are 303-866-2208 and 1-888-341-0002.
• Breaking a lease. Under C.R.S. 38-12-402, a tenant who is a victim of domestic violence or domestic abuse and fears imminent danger can end the lease and move out after written notice to the landlord with documentation, such as a police report from the prior 60 days, a protection order, or a written statement from a medical professional. Be aware the law allows the landlord to charge up to one month's rent after you vacate, payable within 90 days, so it is not entirely cost free. The same statute forbids landlords from evicting you solely for being a victim, from penalizing you for calling the police in an emergency, and from disclosing your status or forwarding address.

If any of these programs feel hard to navigate on your own, the resources below list who can walk you through them.

Free lawyers and advocates

You may need more than a protection order: divorce, parenting orders, child support, housing. If paying a lawyer is out of reach right now, free help exists.

• Colorado Legal Services provides free civil legal aid in every Colorado county for people who qualify by income, and adults 60 and older. Its practice areas include civil protection orders, custody, property and debt, and housing, and the organization reports that nearly 40 percent of its clients in 2025 were survivors of domestic violence. You are not an unusual caller there. You are who they exist for. Apply through the Apply Online or Find a Location links on their site.
• Project Safeguard, mentioned above for protection orders, also provides free legal advocacy, court support, and attorney services in family court matters for survivors in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, and Denver counties, phone 720-618-3482.

For the wider world of free and low cost options, including free legal clinics with no income limits, the courts' own self-help centers, court forms, and fee waivers, see our guide to free family law help when you cannot afford an attorney. Everything in it applies here, and several of its programs prioritize survivors.

And our own door is open. We offer a free consultation, and talking with us costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

What we can do, said plainly

We are a law firm, and we want to be honest about our place in all of this. The advocates and shelters above do things we cannot, and if you take nothing from this page but the Hotline's number and your local program, it has done its job. Here is where we fit.

We handle civil protection orders, divorce, and parenting cases where domestic violence is part of the picture. That means preparing you for the permanent order hearing, asking the court for the protections C.R.S. 13-14-105 allows, and building the divorce or custody case that follows, where a domestic violence finding shapes decision making and parenting time. Our page on domestic violence in divorce and custody cases explains how Colorado courts handle this in detail. When a child is in danger inside an existing family case, we can also move fast: under C.R.S. 14-10-129(4), a motion to restrict parenting time must be heard within 14 days, with supervised parenting time in the meantime.

One more thing, in the spirit of honesty: our practice includes criminal defense, and that includes defending people accused of domestic violence. We understand if reading that gives you pause. We mention it because it is true, and because that experience means we know from the inside how the criminal case against your abuser is likely to move, what the mandatory protection order will and will not do, and where the criminal and family cases collide. A firm cannot represent both sides of the same situation, so when we represent you, we are yours. If we are not the right fit, we will say so and point you back to the resources on this page.

This page, like everything on our site, is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney client relationship. But the consultation is free, and you are welcome to it whenever you are ready.