Immediate Support
IMMEDIATE SUPPORT
Crisis Lines
The journey to safety and healing starts with a simple phone call. InterAct’s trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to help callers plan for their immediate safety and get connected to InterAct’s continuum of care.
If you or someone you know needs help, please speak with a crisis counselor at:
InterAct Crisis Line: 919-828-7740
Spanish: 844-203-8896
Email: gethelp@interactofwake.org
Note: Email is not monitored 24/7; it is only monitored Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. If you reach out outside of those times, a crisis counselor will respond within one business day.
IMMEDIATE SUPPORT
Emergency Shelter & Housing Case Management
Emergency Shelter
InterAct’s Emergency Shelter provides a safe and supportive environment where victims and their families can rebuild their lives. At the 24-hour counselor-staffed Emergency Shelter, individuals and families receive support for basic needs, individual and group counseling, and case management services. The average stay in our shelter is 90 days, although there is no preset limit on how long a survivor stays.
Housing Case Management
InterAct’s housing case managers work with shelter residents to set and meet self-sufficiency goals and plan for a secure future. Through InterAct’s many collaborations and programs, shelter guests have access to job readiness resources, employment assistance, educational resources, financial counseling, and referral networks for housing, transportation, and childcare. Specialized InterAct counselors can work with children to process their experience, learn how to identify abuse, and decrease the damaging effects of witnessing violence in the home. The resources and services provided by InterAct are tailored to the needs of the survivor and their family.
Begin by speaking to a crisis counselor at 919-828-7740
IMMEDIATE SUPPORT
The Solace Center
The Solace Center at InterAct is the only free-standing, community-based sexual assault forensic examination center in Wake County. Trained staff are available 24/7 to provide forensic exams and emotional support. Survivors are referred from local emergency departments, through local law enforcement, and self-referred.
Transportation can be arranged for those in need. Services are available at no cost to survivors, no matter where the assault occurred. Our forensic nurses and response advocates provide forensic exams and emotional support in a safe, calm, and supportive setting. Long-term case management services are also available.
You have options. To learn more, visit our Solace Center page.
IMMEDIATE SUPPORT
Lethality Assessment Program
The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) helps prevent serious injuries and homicides related to intimate partner violence through enhanced awareness, communication, coordination, and access to services.
Deployed by trained law enforcement, LAP connects those at the highest risk of serious injury or death to InterAct immediately at the scene of the violent incident.
InterAct-trained first responders across Wake County (law enforcement and emergency room personnel) use a validated screening tool to identify survivors who are at an increased risk of being seriously injured or killed by their abusers. When the screening tool indicates that the risk is high, the survivor is immediately referred InterAct for crisis intervention and ongoing services.
To learn more about the LAP program, visit MNADV.org or the NC Department of Justice for North Carolina-specific information.
IMMEDIATE SUPPORT
Court Advocacy
InterAct court navigators and advocates guide people through complicated civil and criminal legal actions in each of Wake County’s domestic violence courtrooms or via remote access.
A survivor of abuse navigating the courthouse and attempting to understand the unfamiliar process of completing and submitting a domestic violence protective order may become overwhelmed and stressed to the point of giving up. Survivors may feel anxious or fearful about encountering the abuser, not being believed, or facing retaliation, and the requirement to recount painful experiences in detail can open emotional wounds. Long wait times and bureaucratic hurdles can add to emotional and physical exhaustion. At the same time, there may be a cautious sense of hope that the protective order could provide safety and relief, even as uncertainty remains about the outcome.
Enter InterAct’s Court Services team, including the Court Services Coordinator, Civil and Criminal Court Advocates, and Legal Support Center Advocate, led by the Associate Director for Court Services and supported by volunteer Court Navigators. This team can support a survivor through the courthouse and help them understand each step of the process, explain legal terminology, and reduce confusion and stress. The team can also connect the survivor with InterAct’s case management services for both immediate needs and long-term support. InterAct’s court services team is available in the Legal Support Center in the Wake County Courthouse.
To find out more and access InterAct’s court services team, call the crisis line at 919-828-7740.
A Guide to Protective, Restraining and No-Contact Orders
Domestic Violence Protective Order (50B): Often referred to as a restraining order, DVPO 50B is specifically for victims of domestic violence to protect them from the abuser. It is applicable when the plaintiff (survivor) and defendant (abuser):
- are spouses or former spouses
- are persons of the opposite sex who are not married but live together or have lived together
- have a child in common
- are parent and child or grandparent and grandchild
- are current or former household members
- are persons who are in or have been in a dating relationship.
A Civil No-Contact Order (50C) protects survivors of stalking or nonconsensual sexual conduct from individuals with whom they do not have a personal relationship (strangers, neighbors, coworkers). The orders do not require physical injury; they can order the defendant to cease contact with the plaintiff, cease any harassment, and stay away from the survivor/victim’s home, school, or workplace.
To find out more and access InterAct’s court services team, call the crisis line at 919-828-7740.
Want to give help?
If you’re interested in volunteering, please reach out to volunteer@interactofwake.org.