Kentucky Support Resources
Statewide and national support services for people in Kentucky seeking crisis help, safety planning, housing, legal support, recovery resources, and survivor-centered care.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are in emotional distress, experiencing a mental health crisis, struggling with substance use, or thinking about suicide, call or text 988. For local service referrals including shelter, food, housing, and crisis resources, dial 211.
You do not need perfect words to ask for help. Start with 911, 988, 211, or one of the resources below.
Domestic Violence
- ZeroV
Formerly the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence, ZeroV is Kentucky’s statewide coalition supporting survivors of intimate partner violence and their children.
https://www.zerov.org/ - ZeroV Shelter Programs
Find Kentucky’s regional intimate partner violence programs, including shelters, survivor advocacy, counseling, and safety planning support.
https://www.zerov.org/shelter_programs - National Domestic Violence Hotline
24/7 confidential support, safety planning, and crisis help.
Call: 1-800-799-7233
Text: START to 88788
https://www.thehotline.org/ - StrongHearts Native Helpline
Support for Native American and Alaska Native survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence.
Call or text: 1-844-762-8483
https://strongheartshelpline.org/ - Love Is Respect
Support for teen dating abuse and unhealthy relationship dynamics.
Call: 1-866-331-9474
Text: LOVEIS to 22522
https://www.loveisrespect.org/ - Domestic Violence Help for Men
Male survivors can contact ZeroV programs, Kentucky 211, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support and referrals.
Mental Health / Crisis
- Kentucky 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call, text, or chat 988 for suicide prevention, mental health crisis support, emotional distress, and substance-use-related crisis support. Kentucky’s 988 service is available 24/7/365.
https://988.ky.gov/ - 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
National crisis support for mental health, suicide prevention, substance use crisis, and emotional distress.
Call or text: 988
https://988lifeline.org/ - Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities
State behavioral health services, mental health resources, substance use services, and crisis-system information.
https://dbhdid.ky.gov/ - NAMI Kentucky
Mental health education, advocacy, peer support, online support groups, family support, and community resources.
https://namiky.org/ - SAMHSA Find Support
National mental health and substance use support information.
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-support - FindSupport.gov
Federal support resource directory for mental health, substance use, and crisis needs.
https://www.findsupport.gov/
Addiction / Substance Use
- Find Help Now Kentucky
Search for substance use disorder treatment, recovery support, and treatment availability in Kentucky. The KY HELP Statewide Call Center can also connect people with screening and referral support.
Call: 1-877-318-1871
https://findhelpnow.org/ky - Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities
State substance use services, treatment access information, prevention, recovery support, and behavioral health resources.
https://dbhdid.ky.gov/ - Kentucky 988
Support for mental health and substance use crisis.
Call, text, or chat: 988
https://988.ky.gov/ - FindTreatment.gov
Search for addiction treatment, mental health treatment, detox, outpatient care, inpatient care, and recovery programs by location.
https://findtreatment.gov/ - SAMHSA Find Help
National treatment referral and support resources for substance use and mental health needs.
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help - 211 Kentucky
Search detox programs, counseling, recovery programs, addiction treatment services, and local support referrals.
https://www.211kentucky.org/
Homelessness / Shelter / Housing
- 211 Kentucky
Dial 211 for shelter, housing assistance, food resources, utility help, transportation support, and crisis service referrals.
https://www.211kentucky.org/ - Kentucky Housing Corporation
State housing programs, affordable housing resources, homelessness support, rental assistance information, and housing stabilization resources.
https://www.kyhousing.org/ - HUD Kentucky
Federal housing resources, rental help, foreclosure information, fair housing support, and local HUD contacts for Kentucky.
https://www.hud.gov/states/kentucky - FindHelp
Search local shelter, housing, food, transportation, financial assistance, and social service programs by ZIP code.
https://www.findhelp.org/ - Adult Men’s Shelter and Emergency Housing
Use Kentucky 211, Kentucky Housing Corporation, FindHelp, or local county/city service offices to locate emergency shelters, transitional housing, and housing support. - Family Shelter and Housing Support
Use Kentucky 211, HUD Kentucky, Kentucky Housing Corporation, and local programs to locate family shelter, rental help, and emergency housing support.
Legal Help / Protective Orders / Family Law
- Kentucky Legal Aid
Free civil legal assistance and legal resources for eligible Kentucky residents.
https://www.klaid.org/ - Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
Free civil legal assistance for eligible residents in Northern and Central Kentucky.
https://lablaw.org/ - Kentucky Justice Online
Legal information, self-help resources, protection order information, and access to legal help.
https://www.kyjustice.org/ - Kentucky Justice Online – Victims of Crime
Self-help forms and resources, including crime victim compensation and petition/motion for order of protection resources.
https://www.kyjustice.org/topics/victims-crime - Kentucky Court of Justice – Legal Self-Help
Legal forms and guidance, including domestic violence/interpersonal protective order petitions and other self-help forms.
https://kycourts.gov/Legal-Help/Pages/default.aspx - Kentucky Bar Association
Find attorney resources, lawyer referral information, and legal support options in Kentucky.
https://www.kybar.org/
Victim Rights / Crime Victim Support
- Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet – Victim Services
State victim services information, victim assistance programs, and crime victim support resources.
https://justice.ky.gov/Victim-Services - Kentucky Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance
Information about VOCA-funded victim assistance services, including support for victims of child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, homicide, elder abuse, burglary, theft, and other crimes.
https://justice.ky.gov/Departments-Agencies/GMD/Pages/voca.aspx - Kentucky Justice Online – Crime Victim Compensation
Self-help information and forms for crime victim compensation and related victim support.
https://www.kyjustice.org/topics/victims-crime - Office for Victims of Crime – Kentucky State Support
Federal victim assistance and compensation program information for Kentucky.
https://ovc.ojp.gov/help-for-victims/help-in-your-state/kentucky - Office for Victims of Crime
Federal victim assistance information, rights resources, and support programs.
https://ovc.ojp.gov/
Sexual Assault Support
- Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs (KASAP)
Statewide coalition of Kentucky’s regional rape crisis centers, providing advocacy, prevention, training, policy work, and survivor support connections.
https://www.kasap.org/ - Kentucky Rape Crisis Centers
Regional sexual assault centers provide crisis lines, counseling, support groups, medical advocacy, legal advocacy, and survivor-centered services.
https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dcbs/dpp/csb/Pages/crisiscenterinfo.aspx - RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
24/7 confidential sexual assault support and online chat.
Call: 1-800-656-4673
https://www.rainn.org/ - StrongHearts Native Helpline
Support for Native American and Alaska Native survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence.
Call or text: 1-844-762-8483
https://strongheartshelpline.org/
County / Local / City Support
Use these tools to find help near you in Kentucky. Local services can vary by county, city, ZIP code, eligibility, and current availability, because apparently finding help must involve a scavenger hunt designed by a committee.
- 211 Kentucky
Search for local shelter, food, housing, transportation, mental health, domestic violence, legal, and crisis services.
https://www.211kentucky.org/ - FindHelp
Search for local programs by ZIP code.
https://www.findhelp.org/ - FindTreatment.gov
Search addiction and mental health treatment by location.
https://findtreatment.gov/ - ZeroV Shelter Programs
Find domestic violence shelters, advocacy programs, and survivor support services across Kentucky.
https://www.zerov.org/shelter_programs - KASAP
Find Kentucky sexual assault support resources and regional rape crisis center connections.
https://www.kasap.org/
Special Populations
- Male Survivors
Male survivors can use ZeroV programs, KASAP resources, Kentucky 211, RAINN, 1in6, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support and referrals. - Teen Dating Abuse
Love Is Respect provides support for young people experiencing dating abuse or unhealthy relationship dynamics.
https://www.loveisrespect.org/ - Native Survivors
StrongHearts Native Helpline supports Native American and Alaska Native survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence.
Call or text: 1-844-762-8483
https://strongheartshelpline.org/ - Veterans Crisis Line
Support for veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and loved ones.
Call 988, then press 1
Text: 838255
https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ - LGBTQ+ Youth Support – The Trevor Project
Crisis support for LGBTQ+ young people.
Call: 1-866-488-7386
Text: START to 678678
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Quick Reminder
If you are scared, unsafe, struggling with addiction, facing homelessness, or thinking about suicide, start with 911, 988, 211, ZeroV, or one of the resources above. You do not need to explain everything perfectly. You just need a place to begin.