Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, CHANA staff have been available for our clients and those reaching out for help and support with issues of domestic violence and abuse. On Monday, April 6 CHANA launched a Live Chat feature on its website, chanabaltimore.org, adding more options for individuals to reach out and access help.

CHANA’s live chat service allows you to reach out to our advocates in a way that is safe, private and secure. This service can be incredibly helpful to our clients who, due to being isolated in their homes with abusers, cannot access help through by calling on the phone.

For those of you having to whisper from the bathroom, this chat is for you.
For those who fear their abusers may be monitoring call logs, this may be a safer option.
For young people who are more comfortable reaching out for help over the web, we are here to help.

We know that reaching out for help can be difficult, especially if you’ve never talked about the abuse to anyone before. We understand it can be hard to describe your feelings out loud. If you’re not comfortable talking on the phone, or if it’s not safe for you to do so, you now have another option. You will get the same confidential, real-time, one-on-one attention that you would by calling one of our advocates.

CHANA’S secure live chat can be found on the top right corner of our website, by clicking on the purple button that says “secure chat.” Initially, CHANA’s live chat feature will be operating on a limited schedule, Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., with the intention to expand based on the needs of the community. Messages are confidential and they are not saved on our computer or yours. If you need assistance outside of these hours, our phone lines are open. (410) 234-0030

Anyone seeking help for domestic violence or abuse is welcome to chat. Each and every day we speak not only with survivors, but family members, friends, community members, colleagues and concerned others about how to identify if someone is being abused and what to do. CHANA is here, and we are ready to help.