Freedom's Rest Family Violence Center

The mission of Freedom’s Rest Family Violence Center is to provide shelter and advocacy to the survivors of domestic and sexual violence and to promote education to break the cycle of violence in our community. To deliver on this mission, Freedom's Rest operates a full-service emergency domestic and sexual violence shelter located in Ozark, serving victims of domestic and sexual violence from Christian, Barry, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Lawrence, Ozark, Polk, Stone, Taney, and Webster counties in southwest Missouri. In addition to emergency shelter services, Freedom's Rest also provides outreach and case management services for victims of domestic and sexual violence, regardless of availability to house the client in our emergency shelter. Freedom’s Rest was originally founded as the Christian County Family Crisis Center in 1996 by a group of citizens who were concerned about the growing epidemic of domestic violence in our region. A task force was formed to address the issue, and in 2003 the Board of Directors accepted the donated use of a privately owned facility gifted by Clifton and Carole Collins. With the support of area residents, foundations, businesses, and partner organizations, Freedom’s Rest Family Violence Center's emergency domestic and sexual violence shelter opened its doors to women and children in 2004. Freedom's Rest Family Violence Center currently serves as a safe-haven to hundreds of women and children seeking safety and refuge from their abusers each year.