§ 19-13-22.Eligibility for licensing and funding; application; receiving and referral functions; shelters and programs; admission procedures; board of shelter
Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 2. Family Violence Shelters · Last amended 2015 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-13-22
Plain-English Summary
This section describes how Georgia’s state-funded family violence shelters work. To be approved and funded under the article, a shelter must provide a facility to receive or house family violence victims; receive the periodic written endorsement of local law enforcement agencies; receive a minimum of 25 percent of its funding from other sources; and meet the council’s minimum standards. Donations in kind — materials, transportation, office space, other facilities or personal services — may count toward the required local funding. Facilities that don’t receive state funds aren’t required to be approved.
The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council must provide procedures for local organizations to apply, and any local agency or organization may apply. Shelters and family violence programs may be established throughout the state as private, local, state or federal funds become available, and any county or city may make grants to a family violence center approved under the council’s minimum standards.
For someone seeking safety, two provisions matter most. Each approved shelter serves as a temporary receiving facility for people subject to family violence, and each shelter must set procedures for people to seek admission on a voluntary basis. Shelters must also refer the people they receive, and their spouses, to public or private facilities, services or programs for treatment or rehabilitation. Each shelter has a board of at least three citizens, one of whom must be a member of a local, municipal or county law enforcement agency. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The section was last amended in 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get into a family violence shelter in Georgia?
Each family violence shelter must set procedures for people subject to family violence to seek admission voluntarily, so contact a local shelter to learn its process. Approved shelters serve as temporary receiving facilities for people subject to family violence. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Do Georgia family violence shelters help with more than a place to stay?
Yes. Each shelter must refer the people it receives, and their spouses, to any public or private facility, service or program that provides treatment or rehabilitation services — including services aimed at preventing family violence and at the care, treatment and rehabilitation of people engaged in or subject to it.
How are family violence shelters funded in Georgia?
Through a mix of sources. A state-funded shelter must receive a minimum of 25 percent of its funding from other sources, and donations in kind such as materials, transportation, office space or personal services may count. Counties and cities may make grants to approved centers, and shelters may be established as private, local, state or federal funds become available.
Does every family violence shelter in Georgia need state approval?
No. A shelter must meet the council’s minimum standards to be approved and funded under the article, but facilities that don’t receive state funds aren’t required to be approved. Shelters and programs may be established throughout the state as private, local, state or federal funds are available.
Who runs a family violence shelter in Georgia?
Each family violence shelter must have a board of at least three citizens, one of whom must be a member of a local, municipal or county law enforcement agency. A state-funded shelter also needs the periodic written endorsement of local law enforcement agencies.
Amendment History
Laws 1981, p. 663, § 3; Laws 1983, p. 521, §§ 3-5; Laws 1988, p. 1287, § 3; Laws 1989, p. 1108, § 1; Laws 1996, p. 819, § 3; Laws 2015, Act 132, § 11, eff. July 1, 2015.