Shelter services are provided free of charge and intended for all victims of domestic violence or those at risk of it, regardless of gender and age. A shelter is meant to be a short-term place of safety for the duration of an acute crisis. It provides immediate emergency aid, round-the-clock secured living, and psychosocial support, counselling and guidance in acute situations. A shelter offers victims of domestic violence the opportunity to discuss their situation in private with a domestic violence counsellor.
In addition to emergency aid, a shelter provides support and information in practical matters. Minors stay at the shelter with their parent.
Personnel is available at the shelter around the clock. The shelter personnel answers telephone calls concerning domestic abuse round the clock. The caller’s risk of domestic violence or an act of violence that has already occurred is assessed over the phone. The caller is taken in as a shelter client or referred to other aid services. The nationwide Nollalinja telephone service directs clients to violence prevention services as well. The Nollalinja website provides on-call personnel and shelter employees with real-time information on the availability of shelters across Finland.
Shelters cooperate with social welfare authorities, especially child welfare workers with whom shelter personnel works whenever a parent/family with children is seeking help. Social welfare services for adults are an important partner when working with clients who need support in making housing arrangements.
Hertta Shelter
tel. 09 4777 180 enquiries 24/7
Has 14 family places, is located on the second and third floor of a block in Herttoniemi, Helsinki. The address is Työnjohtajankatu 7 C, 00880 Helsinki.
The shelter facilities are accessible, however, the building is not completely accessible because there are construction sites near the building. In addition, the shelter does not have disabled parking spaces.
Tilkka Shelter
tel. 050 565 0636 enquiries 24/7
Has seven family places, is located on the ninth floor of the Tilkka hospital building in Pikku Huopalahti. The address is Mannerheimintie 164 B, 9th floor, 00300 Helsinki.
Pellas Shelter
tel. 040 457 3840 enquiries 24/7
Has seven family places, is located in the facilities of the Deaconess Foundation of Helsinki at Kuninkaantie 40 A, 02940 Espoo.
Pellas Shelter has a car park near the entrance but the car park does not have disabled parking spaces. The entrance is accessible and the doorway is 1,000 mm wide. There are no stairs or thresholds at the entrance. Clients can be picked up and dropped off directly at the front of the shelter entrance. Pellas Shelter does not have stairways or lifts. The common area is open and all surfaces are smooth. Clients who use aids can easily move around the common area. The bedroom doorways are 810 mm wide, which might cause problems for persons with reduced mobility. The bedroom furniture can be rearranged to make moving around the room easier for a client with reduced mobility. The bathrooms are spacious, but the doorways are 810 mm wide. The shelter personnel is happy to help with accessibility issues. Our goal is to provide safety for all who need it.
The employees’ email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@paakaupunginturvakoti.fi.
When making an appointment, please indicate your language so that we can book an interpreter for the meeting if necessary.
You can also cancel your appointment by email.