There is no waitlist. Space at Casula is filled on a first come, first served basis. At the top of this page, you can see current availability. To understand if Casula might be a good fit for you, please take the Online Self-Assessment or call or email a Comadre.

Casula is a small, 350m2 house. The shared space contains a small, but well equipped kitchen/dining/living area and there are two large private rooms each with their own full bathroom. Each room has a large (150cm or 200cm) bed and 90cm bunk beds. We can house a maximum of two women and four children at any one time. The spaces have closet storage, heating and access to the rest of the Comadres and Compadres property.

Casula and Associação Comadres are welcoming, supportive and inclusive of our LGBTQ+ community members and kinfolk. Many of our staff, board, supporters and volunteers are also part of this community! Shelter services are available for queer women, non-binary folx AFAB, and trans women who have been living full time as a woman. 

We understand that gender-based violence ranges from beliefs to behaviors and can be complex, triggering and traumatizing on different levels for different people and we do not want to force people in difficult situations to live with others who represent or pose a real threat. As we are a small shelter hosting up to two women and four children at any one time, we take individual care and consideration when accepting residents so that both people will be able to receive the safety, dignity and belonging they deserve while at Casula.

We are not required to collect or report your immigration status to any authority. This information belongs to you. If you choose to disclose it to us for any reason, we will keep it confidential unless you ask us to disclose, for example, while seeking public or other professional support services related to your immigration status.

For 2026, Casula will be open the whole year with the exception of the month of August, where the whole space will close for a full staff break.

Unfortunately, no. But if you need a safe place for your pet for you to be able to come to Casula, please let us know. We will engage our network of pet foster volunteers to support you and your furry family member.

We are proud to be amongst a movement of small town shelters who through their own research have come to understand the power of going public with their locations. Research has shown that disclosing shelter locations did not increase risk for residents. Instead, residents increased their ability to have more meaningful and integrated access to community resources and healthy social connections, all of which matter to a person’s healing and transformation process. A shelter with a public location also has the added power of a whole community who is invested in it’s resident’s safety, dignity and belonging. Still with proper risk assessment and security measures in place, we believe that Casula is a more safe and empowering place for all of us when more of us are present and taking care. 

See these articles for more information on shelters going public:

Domestic violence shelters move out of hiding https://www.cbsnews.com/news/domestic-violence-shelters-safety-locations/#:~:text=Haven%2C%20a%20nonprofit%20in%20Bozeman,Katheryn%20Houghton/KFF%20Health%20News

Domestic violence shelter comes out of hiding. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/03/domestic-violence-shelter-comes-out-of-hiding/5189191/

An Open Domestic Violence Shelter Model: An Idea Whose Time Has Come https://www.safehorizon.org/safe-horizon-in-the-news/open-domestic-violence-shelter-pilot/

Shelter residents are offered a broad range of services from help navigating Portuguese social services systems, accessing medical care, therapeutic and wellness services, education and life logistics. We work with a large network of professionals and volunteers who can provide access to many services, all based on the needs and desires of Casula residents. We also offer residents free access to all of the classes, workshops and events happening at the Comadres and Compadres property, access to fresh food from the farm and twice weekly family meals.

Casula is intended as a temporary, but meaningful stay on a woman’s journey to regaining her health, safety and sovereignty. Stays are generally limited to a maximum of four months with exceptions regarding the need to find long term housing or stable employment.

Staff and volunteers at Casula and Associação Comadres will keep confidential all information communicated to them by Casula residents. This confidentiality agreement means that

1. We will not disclose to any other person or entity whether we have had contact with you or provided services to you, or whether or not you are residing in our shelter;

2. We will not disclose to any other person or entity information or materials that you have disclosed or given to us or that we have disclosed or given to you

3. If we are issued any subpoena or other legal effort to obtain this information from us, we will first seek legal counsel in defence of your privacy and inform you when you have not authorized the release of this information. There are some exceptions to this confidentiality clause regarding the imminent safety of minors and others while residing at Casula. A full confidentiality agreement will be made available and discussed with all Casula residents.

No. Women are not required to legally report or disclose any details to Comadres to receive services. It is important to know that in Portugal, domestic abuse is a public crime, meaning anyone can report abuse and criminal proceedings can take place without the directly involved people’s consent. No staff or volunteer of Casula or Comadres will report ‘on your behalf’, although as independent citizens, all staff and volunteers of Comadres and Compadres are legally within their right to report the crime of domestic violence should an abusive person threaten their own sense of safety while onsite.

The main house and surrounding outside areas are equipped with an indoor and outdoor security system which is linked directly to police. It is also controlled remotely by Lorie and Skeets, property owners and Associação Comadres board members. Acting Comadre property manager and each Casula resident will receive unique numerical codes for entry to arm/disarm the security system. There is also a smart lock on the front door. Each Casula resident will receive their own unique pin to open the door which can be changed as necessary. The house is also secured with locking shutters accessible only from the inside.

Between 2-4 men and women (Compadres and Comadres) live onsite and share the responsibility of security for the space. Our security protocols will be shared in more detail with Casula residents on arrival. Finally, we have established a working relationship with the local police chief who is aware and supportive of our project and who has made themselves personally available to support any security needs.

• We practice Acceptance for our unique differences in culture, race, religion, spirituality, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, and ability.

• We practice Confidentiality. We do not share other people’s private stories and WE DO NOT SHARE THE LOCATION OF CASULA WITH THE PEOPLE WE HAVE COME HERE TO LEAVE. Partners we have left due to abuse or violence are never invited onsite for any reason as visitors or guests. 

• We do not use verbal or physical violence against any adult or child. This includes excessive yelling, threats, name calling and spanking. 

• We do not invite family or guests inside Casula to respect the privacy of other residents. If we want to have a visitor or guest, we meet them in the Library (Casa Sanctum) or around the garden or farm areas.

• We do not store or drink alcohol inside Casula or Casa Sanctum. 

• We do not do or bring drugs onsite. 

• We do not bring or store guns.

• We smoke only outside, away from doors and windows, and always dispose of butts in trashcans.

• We do not leave children unattended. 

• We do not have a curfew. However, we do let other Casula residents know if we will be in after 8pm to respect a sense of safety for all. 

• We let Ana and Lorie know if we will be away from Casula for more than 2 consecutive nights. 

• We respect quiet hours inside Casula between 8:30pm-7:30am.

• We clean up after ourselves in shared spaces. 

Aside from respecting the house agreements and any agreements we co-establish during your individual care plan sessions, nothing. You are not required to have treatments or therapy while at Casula. You are not required to be ‘moving forward’ with your process. You are not expected or required to change yourself or your life. On of our foundational values at Casula and Comadres is CHOICE. We believe in uplifting and supporting a woman's capacity to choose for herself what she wants and needs and when she moves towards that. We understand that after abuse, restoring the confidence to choose and the resilience to handle the consequences for better or worse can require some attention. We are here to support that process. For now, know that all of the many services we offer are offered by invitation only.

Casula is a one-of-a-kind farm and community-based shelter. The benefits here are possibly innumerable and impossible to quantify. We understand that you might not want to have to come to Casula. But we hope that while here, you can be a part of something meaningful and have an experience you can be proud of. Here are some things you may benefit from:

• Access to fresh, organic foods

• Connection to nature

• Access to community library and a range of classes and events

• Volunteering in the gardens/farm, apothecary, library or events 

• Paid work days with the Comadres or Compadres

• Freedom to come and go and bring trusted friends or family onsite (with the exception of the person(s) you came to Casula to get away from)

• A very small care project which allows for more personalized and quality care

Currently, the daily Comadres staff speak fluent Portuguese, English and Spanish. Staff and volunteers are available to provide translation in the above languages as well as Dutch, German and French. Compadres onsite also speak fluent Italian.