Domestic Abuse Family Shelter

08/27/2026

Today was a valuable opportunity to keep an important conversation moving forward: how we identify, respond to, and better serve survivors of human trafficking across Laurel, Hattiesburg, Columbia, and the surrounding communities.

We were especially glad to see Edward Miller and to meet Anna Joles with Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office. We appreciated hearing Anna’s update on human trafficking efforts across Mississippi and learning more about the continued work being done to strengthen services, partnerships, and support for survivors.

DAFS is also incredibly grateful to be a recipient of funding through the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office to support our work with survivors of human trafficking. That investment allows us to continue expanding critical services and reaching survivors throughout our service area with safety, advocacy, resources, and support.

And it is always a pleasure to see our friend Tiffany Parrish at the Civitan Club of Laurel! We are grateful for the invitation and for every opportunity to connect with community partners who care deeply about the safety and well-being of the people we serve.

Human trafficking is not something that happens only somewhere else. It is happening in communities across our region, and survivors need a coordinated response from victim-service organizations, law enforcement, state leaders, and local partners.

At DAFS, we are proud to be part of that response — advocating, educating, collaborating, and making sure survivors in Laurel, Hattiesburg, Columbia, and surrounding areas know that help is available and they do not have to face it alone.

Thank you to the Civitan Club of Laurel for having us today, and to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office for its continued investment in services for survivors of human trafficking across our state.

08/27/2026

We hear jingle bells in the distance! If you're on your phone and need the direct link instead of the QR code, here you go! We love this fundraiser and appreciate them for making this an annual event!
https://square.link/u/lmvNZncb

It’s that time again!! Help us support the Domestic Abuse Family Shelter!!

08/25/2026

She arrived with one small bag, a trembling dog, and a question:

“Can he stay with me?”

For months, her abuser had used threats against her dog to control her. Leaving meant saving herself—but she feared it could also mean abandoning the one companion who had stayed beside her through everything.

When we told her they would not have to be separated, she sank to the floor, wrapped her arms around him, and cried.

That first night, neither of them slept much. He startled at every sound and would not eat unless she sat beside him. She kept one hand resting on his back, as if they both needed reassurance that they were finally somewhere safe.

Then, slowly, things began to change.

He stopped trembling when staff entered the room.
She began making plans for their future.
He discovered a favorite blanket.
She rediscovered her voice.

One morning, we found them outside together. His tail was wagging. She was laughing.

It may have looked like an ordinary moment between a woman and her dog—but it represented something extraordinary: safety, healing, and the beginning of a new life they were allowed to build together.

At DAFS, pets are not an afterthought. They are family. They are sources of comfort, courage, and unconditional love during some of the most frightening moments a survivor will ever face.

Because of pet shelter housing assistance, survivors do not have to choose between escaping abuse and protecting the animals they love.

Sometimes, saving one life means making room for two.

08/24/2026

Some donations fill shelves. Others fill a need the moment they walk through our doors. 💙

We are incredibly grateful to the Mississippi Power Community Connection Pine Belt Chapter for seeing our call for essential supplies and responding in such a generous way.

These items will be used every single day by survivors, children, and families who come to DAFS seeking safety and a fresh start. Toilet paper, personal-care items, and other household necessities may not always be the first things people think about when they think of domestic violence services—but they are absolutely essential to providing a safe, comfortable, and dignified place for someone rebuilding their life.

When someone arrives at shelter, we want them focused on healing, safety, and what comes next—not worrying about whether they have the basic necessities they need.

That is why gifts like this have such an immediate impact.

To the Mississippi Power Community Connection Pine Belt Chapter: thank you for hearing our need, answering the call, and showing our survivors that their community cares about them. Your generosity helps us do more than provide shelter. It helps us provide dignity, comfort, stability, and hope.

We are deeply thankful to have community partners who continue to stand beside DAFS and the families we serve. This is community in action—and we could not do this work without it. ❤️

08/22/2026

😇 TODAY IS BE AN ANGEL DAY.

At Domestic Abuse Family Shelter, we know something about angels.

They don't always have wings.

Sometimes they wear a DAFS staff badge.

Sometimes an angel is the advocate who answers the crisis line and says, “Yes. We can help.”

Sometimes it is a residential worker offering nothing more complicated than a hug when someone desperately needs one.

Sometimes it is the staff member sitting beside a survivor in court so they don't have to face that room alone.

Sometimes it is helping a frightened child settle into a new place, finding clothes for a family who left with almost nothing, giving someone a ride to a job interview or doctor's appointment, or making sure a beloved pet is safe too.

Sometimes our angels are the supporters and donors who quietly give what they can — because they believe every survivor deserves safety, dignity and the chance to begin again.

Sometimes they are found in churches throughout our communities — congregations that collect food, clothing, household supplies and other necessities, make financial gifts, and faithfully support our work throughout the year. Their generosity often arrives exactly when it is needed most.

Sometimes they are the incredible women of the Junior Auxiliary of Hattiesburg, whose Gal Pals have wrapped their arms around the women and children we serve with friendship, generosity and compassion.

And sometimes they are the Real. Strong. Women. of the Kappa Sigma Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega at The University of Southern Mississippi — young women who have chosen Domestic Violence Awareness as their philanthropy and who show up to serve survivors and remind them that their community stands beside them.

There are angels in businesses that donate.
Angels in churches that give all year long.
Angels who organize drives.
Angels who volunteer.
Angels who share our posts.
Angels who write checks.
Angels who pray.
Angels who simply ask, “What do you need?”

And there are angels among the survivors we serve — people who find extraordinary courage on some of the hardest days of their lives and, little by little, begin building something new.

We could never do this work alone.

So on Be An Angel Day, we aren't asking you to look toward the sky.

Look around.

Our community is full of angels. 😇

And from all of us at Domestic Abuse Family Shelter:

Thank you for being ours.

Want to become one of the angels helping a survivor find safety?

Text DAFS to 26989
or give at dafs.ms/


Junior Auxiliary of Hattiesburg Alpha Chi Omega at the University of Southern Mississippi

08/17/2026

🟣 WHAT DOES A NONPROFIT DO?🟣

It opens the door when someone is running for their life.
It answers the crisis call.
It gives a child a safe place to sleep.
It gets a survivor to court, to work, to a doctor — or sometimes hundreds of miles away to safety.

That is impact. That is DAFS.

On National Nonprofit Day, we’re not celebrating what we say we do.

We’re showing you what we DID.

In our most recently completed fiscal year:

5,902 emergency shelter nights
1,460 transportation assists
882 crisis interventions
776 individual advocacy services
726 counseling & support group services
450 victims received services
79 children found safety in our shelter

And that’s only part of the story.

Across 11 Mississippi counties and 6,584 square miles, Domestic Abuse Family Shelter provides emergency shelter, advocacy, counseling, children’s services, court assistance, relocation help, transportation, financial assistance, life skills, and support for survivors of domestic violence, family violence, stalking and human trafficking.

We shelter pets, too — because no survivor should have to choose between safety and leaving a beloved animal behind.

This is what nonprofit impact looks like.

A safe bed.
A ride to work.
A child who can sleep without fear.
A survivor who realizes there is a way out.
A life beginning again.

But none of it happens without people who choose to help.

💜 Today, on National Nonprofit Day, be part of the next number.

📱 Text DAFS to 26989 to donate.
💻 Donate online: https://dafs.ms/

Your gift can become someone’s safe night, next step, and fresh start.

08/08/2026

What a great evening in our community!

A huge THANK YOU to Wilson’s Commissary for inviting DAFS to be part of their very first Beer Run! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

We’re so grateful to all the runners, participants, and everyone who supported tonight’s fundraiser. Your generosity helps DAFS continue serving survivors right here in our local communities.

We also loved spending the evening alongside some of the other incredible nonprofits doing important work across our area. There’s something special about seeing our community come together, have a little fun, and support organizations making a difference.

Thank you, Wilson’s Commissary, for including us—and thank you to everyone who showed up and gave back!

Wilson’s Commissary

08/06/2026

Thanks for having us, Wilson’s Commissary! Sign up to help raise money to support DAFS and the other agencies!

We would like the welcome the 5th non-profit organization to join us for a fun Friday night beer mile! Welcome Domestic Abuse Family Shelter! Excited to have them join us and setting up a table to share the work they are doing!

07/30/2026

💙 Today is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Human trafficking doesn't just happen somewhere else—it happens in our communities, affecting women, men, and children of every age, race, and background.

Many survivors never identify themselves as victims. They may be afraid, isolated, controlled, or simply unsure where to turn.

At DAFS, we believe every survivor deserves safety, compassion, and hope.

If you or someone you know needs help, our advocates are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

📞 24/7 Crisis Line: 1-800-649-1092

Hope starts here.