Human Options

Human Options is joining 22 other nonprofits in Orange County that help promote mental health and healthy relationships on this day of giving.  We have been a vital resource for those affected by relationship violence in Orange County. In 45 years, we have touched the lives of over 600,000 people.

Concerned about the alarming rates of anxiety and depression among women, 4 concerned women found that the underlying cause of these high rates was a common thread of relationship violence. With this, our founders took action with what they had and started giving out resources from the trunk of their car. They had a vision of ensuring people could feel safe in their own homes.

With the support of our community and our trusted partners, we now offer a 50-capacity emergency shelter, a full suite of housing options to meet survivors where they are, legal advocacy, counseling for everyone affected, and prevention education to more than 13,000 adults, children, seniors, and families annually.

Recently, Human Centered Design has become a guiding force at our organization- placing survivors at the heart of how we innovate, listen, and respond. We launched the Survivor Advisory Council – they inform our program design, community education, and organizational strategy. Our hope is to be an incubator for survivor leadership so that they may be influencers and decision makers in the relationship violence field.