Hope Harbour is one of the largest domestic violence shelters in Georgia and the only state certified agency serving victims and survivors across seven counties in Georgia and Alabama. Forty-five years of crisis response, advocacy, and direct services to families at the worst moment of their lives.
Hope Harbour was founded in 1979 as Columbus Alliance for Battered Women, Inc. The name on the legal paperwork stayed the same. The work on the ground evolved into a 43-bed emergency shelter, a 24-hour crisis hotline, and a multi-county legal advocacy presence that reaches across the Georgia-Alabama line.
What started as a small group of community members organizing safe houses for women fleeing violence has grown into one of the largest DV shelters in Georgia and the only agency state certified to serve both Alabama and Georgia counties. The shelter stays consistently full because the need is real and the demand is constant. When we run out of beds, hotel partnerships handle the overflow so nobody gets turned away.
The 24-hour crisis hotline answered 2,535 calls in 2025. Our legal advocacy team handled 2,014 clients across Alabama and Georgia. 129 outreach clients got direct services from advocates who came to them. 429 victims and their children were provided safe shelter when they had nowhere else to turn.
Every service Hope Harbour provides is free and confidential. Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to the victims and survivors we serve.
Every advocate, every counselor, every staff member is trained to meet victims and survivors where they are. We do not ask people to relive what happened. We help them figure out what happens next.
We are the only domestic violence agency in Georgia state certified to serve both Alabama and Georgia counties. When victims need help, distance and state lines do not stop the work.
For every dollar Hope Harbour receives, ninety cents goes directly to the victims and survivors we serve. Shelter beds, hotline coverage, legal filings, first-month rent assistance. The numbers add up to lives changed.
Hope Harbour's board is drawn from Columbus, Georgia and the surrounding counties we serve. These community leaders guide our mission and hold us accountable to the families who turn to us for safety.
Board Members
Hope Harbour is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are funded through a combination of government grants, foundation support, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and our annual Celebration of Hope Gala in October.
Ninety cents of every dollar received goes directly to the victims and survivors we serve. We publish annual financial reports for transparency.
The shelter address is not published. This is intentional and non-negotiable. Publishing the location would compromise the safety of the women and children inside.
If you need shelter, call our 24-hour hotline at (706) 324-3850. An advocate will walk you through intake and transportation.
Hope Harbour serves victims and survivors of domestic violence and their children. We are state certified to serve six Georgia counties (Muscogee, Harris, Taylor, Talbot, Marion, Chattahoochee) and Russell County, Alabama.
Services are free regardless of income, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any other factor. If you are experiencing domestic violence in our service area, you can use our services.
Yes. Every service we provide is confidential. Hotline calls are confidential. Shelter intake is confidential. Counseling and support groups are confidential. The only exceptions are legally mandated reporting requirements (child abuse, elder abuse, imminent threat of harm), which we explain clearly at intake.
The most direct way to help is through a financial gift via Network for Good, which routes 90¢ of every dollar to direct services. Other options include corporate sponsorships, our Walmart wishlist for in-kind donations, and attending or sponsoring the Celebration of Hope Gala.
For safety reasons we do not accept general public volunteering at the shelter. Specialized volunteer roles (legal advocacy, event support) are coordinated through our staff. Visit Get Involved for the full list of ways to help.
Hope Harbour stays open because community partners stand behind the work. If you can give, sponsor, or partner, you keep the shelter running.
