Maxine’s Arms Domestic Violence Shelter
Where Courage Finds Shelter
Confidential emergency shelter, crisis response and advocacy for survivors of abuse and their children in Illinois. Every service is free. You do not need a police report, a plan, or a reason we would approve of.
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Maxine — the woman this shelter is named for. Her story
Start here
What do you need today?
Pick the one that fits closest. Nothing here signs you up for anything, and no one has to explain themselves first.
Our mission
Safe, confidential housing — and everything that has to come with it.
Maxine's Arms provides safe, confidential housing and comprehensive support services for individuals and families escaping domestic abuse. The program offers immediate crisis intervention, secure shelter accommodations, and access to trauma-informed advocates who help residents stabilize, recover, and begin rebuilding their lives.
Services include 24/7 crisis response, safety planning, case management, legal advocacy, support groups, and connections to medical, mental health, housing, and financial resources. Residents receive assistance with transportation, basic needs, and, when applicable, age-appropriate services and emotional support for children affected by violence.
The shelter operates on principles of safety, dignity, and empowerment.
What we do
Services, from the first night onward
All services are survivor-centered, culturally responsive, and provided at no cost.
Emergency Shelter
Safe, confidential housing for individuals and families escaping abuse — available 24 hours a day.
Learn more24/7 Crisis Response & Intervention
Someone to talk to when things are urgent — and help deciding what happens next.
Learn moreSafety Planning
A practical, personal plan for staying safer — whether you are leaving, staying, or already out.
Learn moreCounseling & Support Groups
Individual counseling, peer support groups, and mental health referrals.
Learn moreChildren's Services
Age-appropriate therapeutic support for children exposed to violence or abuse.
Learn moreTeen & Youth Services
Support for teens and young people facing dating violence, stalking, bullying, or violence at home.
Learn moreWho we serve
Who Maxine’s Arms helps, and what we help with
Abuse does not stay in one category, so neither do we. Adults, teens, children and whole families — plus the community work that keeps violence from starting.
- Domestic violence & abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Human trafficking
- Teens & youth
- Dating violence
- Stalking
- Bullying
- Children exposed to violence
- Violence prevention
- Gang reformation
- PAIP counseling
Teens & young people
Dating violence, stalking, online harassment, bullying, and violence at home — with honest answers about what happens when you tell an adult.
For teens and the adults around themCommunity programs
Violence prevention, gang reformation and exit support, and a Partner Abuse Intervention Program — kept structurally separate from survivor services.
See community programsHow it works
What happens when you reach out
No forms to fill in first. No cost. No requirement to have decided anything.
- You make contactBy phone, or through someone helping you. An advocate answers and listens.
- We talk about safetyWhat is happening, what you need tonight, and what your options actually are.
- You arriveIf shelter is right, arrangements are made with you. Food, clothing, hygiene supplies and a safe bed are ready at intake.
- We keep goingCounseling, children’s support, case management, legal advocacy, housing and stability — for as long as it takes.
Our commitments
Five goals we hold ourselves to
These are the program goals Maxine’s Arms was built around — written down, measurable, and public.
Goal 1
Provide Safe and Secure Emergency Shelter
A door that opens at any hour, and everything a person needs the moment they walk through it.
Goal 2
Support Survivor Healing and Emotional Wellness
Care that meets the mind and the heart, for adults and for the children who came with them.
Goal 3
Promote Self-Sufficiency and Long-Term Stability
Safety is the beginning. Independence is the goal.
Goal 4
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Coordinated support, built with the agencies and responders survivors already encounter.
Goal 5
Strengthen Community Awareness and Prevention Efforts
Ending violence takes a community that knows the signs and knows what to do.
Know the signs
Abuse is not always something you can see
It can be money, monitoring, threats, isolation, or a slow narrowing of your world. Understanding what it looks like is the first protection.
Understanding abuse
Physical, emotional, sexual, financial, technological, stalking and coercive control — explained plainly and without judgment.
Read moreWarning signs
What to notice in a partner, in yourself, and in someone you love.
Read moreSafety planning
Practical steps for staying, leaving, documents, money, children, pets, technology and work.
Start planningResource directory
Verified national and community resources, filtered by what you need.
Browse resourcesRight now
If you need to talk to someone right now
These are statewide and national services. They are free, confidential, available 24 hours a day, and none of them is operated by Maxine’s Arms. To reach Maxine’s Arms directly, call 773-243-5464.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Support for anyone affected by relationship abuse — including people who are unsure whether what they are experiencing counts.
800-799-SAFE (7233) Or text START to 88788 · TTY 1-800-787-3224 · thehotline.orgIllinois Domestic Violence Hotline
Illinois’ statewide 24-hour hotline. Call, text or chat with an advocate who can connect you to a program anywhere in the state.
877-863-6338 877-TO END DV · 240+ languages · the-network.orgStrongHearts Native Helpline
Culturally appropriate support for Native Americans and Alaska Natives affected by domestic, dating and sexual violence.
844-7NATIVE 844-762-8483 · strongheartshelpline.orgRAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
For survivors of sexual assault, by phone or online chat, routed to a provider near you.
800-656-HOPE 800-656-4673 · rainn.org988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Free, confidential support during any mental health or emotional crisis, by call or text.
988 Call or text 988 · 988lifeline.orgIf you are in immediate danger or facing a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Get involved
A shelter runs on ordinary people
Donations keep the lights on and the phone answered. Volunteers make the days livable. Partners open doors that a shelter alone cannot.
Give what the shelter actually needs
People arrive with nothing. New pajamas, hygiene supplies, children’s books, grocery cards. The wish list is specific, and it changes.
Partner with us
Agencies, law enforcement, healthcare providers and social services — coordinated support systems are one of our five program goals.
Every part of this work is held up by someone.
Survivors reaching out. Advocates answering. Neighbors giving. Partners opening doors. There is a place in it for you.