Domesticshelters.org Provides Searchable Domestic Violence Shelter Database

    The new website at domesticshelters.org has launched to provide consumers the first online searchable domestic violence provider database.

     “The great news is that there are many good people, organizations, and providers trying to help, and in fact, helping,” said Sylvia Torralba, membership director for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), which has partnered with Theresa’s Fund to develop and launch the site. “What we’re doing is aggregating an ocean of information into a single place.”

     More than just aggregating information, the organizers of the site spent six months unearthing and identifying 3,001 domestic violence provider organizations in the U.S., and then gathering up to 156 data points on each.

     “If you conduct a search in this area, you’ll often not find all of the local providers listed on page one. Some providers don’t even have a web presence,” said Chris McMurry, a marketing and technology entrepreneur and director of Theresa’s Fund, who notes that the overwhelming majority of consumers begin their decision making process with an online search.

     For each provider listed on the site, there is contact information (excepting confidential locations), languages spoken, populations and geographies served, hours of operation, vacancy rates, and details on 46 different types of services that may be offered.

     Provider organizations can self-administer their profiles on the website, updating fundamental information as it evolves and adding custom content to enhance the comprehensiveness and attractiveness of their operations and offerings.

     According to Google, more than 3,000,000 searches are conducted per month for information related to domestic violence, and most often related to seeking help. “With some 36 million searches a year in just the U.S. on the topic of domestic violence, domesticshelters.org is an overdue and much-needed concept that may help more people than any other service ever offered in this space, and may help save lives because it will be so easy, accessible, and fast to use,” added Torralba.

     The website is optimized for smartphone and tablet use, recognizing that consumers are increasingly using their devices to conduct searches. Indeed, the number of local mobile searches is expected to exceed desktop searches by 2015, according to eMarketer.

     The website also publishes brief articles about domestic violence and includes useful resource listings.