Dear Friends, Clients, and Domestic Violence Allies —
UPDATED March 31:
Out of an abundance of caution and concern for our staff and clients, Between Friends’ main location will be closed to all visitors until federal and state guidelines indicate it is safe to reopen, in response to the developing situation related to the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.
Staff will be working remotely during this period and will continue to serve our clients using remote/distance approaches — including phone, email, and video conferencing — whenever appropriate. Group counseling activities will be conducted via Zoom video-conferencing or conference phonecalls during this time.
We anticipate reopening our office when advised by guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other public health agencies. Please check our website for updates on our office closure and program activities.
If you or a loved one is need of immediate assistance related to a domestic violence situation, please call the Illinois State hotline at:
1-877-TO END DV or 1-877-863-6338 (Voice)
1-877-863-6339 (TTY)
The hotline is toll free, confidential, multilingual, and open 24-hours.
Cook County courts will be open with only a skeleton crew from Tuesday, March 17, until April 16, at which time the situation will be reassessed. Most cases that are already pending will be extended by general order for 30 days and not be heard during this time. Courthouses are currently open with a skeleton crew of staff and judges for anyone who needs a new Order of Protection.
Here are some additional resources that may be of use:
- The Illinois Department of Public Health’s guidelines around COVID-19, and their daily press conferences.
- The Rogers Park Community Response Team, an action-oriented group created in response to the COVID-19 outbreak by 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria Hadden, in coordination with local service providers and community organizations.
- The National Network to End Domestic Violence has compiled guidance and resources for domestic violence shelters and programs and will continue to update it.