What VIFFIL - SOS Femmes does

VIFFIL - SOS Femmes is a French nonprofit association (association loi 1901) founded in 1979 in Villeurbanne under Mayor Charles Hernu, making it one of France's pioneering organizations sheltering women and children victims of domestic and intrafamily violence in a CHRS (Centre d'Hébergement et de Réinsertion Sociale). The organization operates a vertically integrated portfolio of free services including the AILE listening service, VIFFILAVI victim assistance (formed via 2020 merger with Lyon Aide aux Victimes), VIFFIL Espace Enfants et Adolescents, VIFFIL Formation professional training, a documentation center with over 2,000 references, and a Centre d'Hébergement organized as ~30 scattered individual apartments across Villeurbanne, Décines, and Vaulx-en-Velin rather than as a collective shelter — a model designed to foster autonomy and break the "huis clos" of domestic violence.

The association's most distinctive operational asset is the Dispositif d'Astreinte et d'Hébergement en Urgence, a 24/7 emergency hotline and safe-housing platform launched in July 2018 in partnership with Police, Gendarmerie, and DDETS, perpetuated in March 2021 through a Departmental Protocol — described in the source as unique in France. VIFFILAVI additionally holds Ministry of Justice agrément and is conventioned by the Cour d'Appel de Lyon, with permanent offices in justice houses, town halls, and the Tribunal judiciaire across at least 11 municipalities in the Lyon metropolitan area.

The revenue model is exclusively public-sector: CHRS operations are financed by the French state via DDETS (formerly DRDJSCS), supplemented by departmental protocols from the Rhône region. All beneficiary services are free. The organization is a member of France Victimes (130+ associations) and Fédération Citoyens et Justice, presided over by Liliane Daligand, with a stable headcount of 19 staff. Geographic scope is regional (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), with a global knowledge-distribution layer via the viffil.centredoc.fr documentation portal.

Name

VIFFIL - SOS Femmes

Legal name

VIFFIL - SOS Femmes

Website

https://viffil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

French nonprofit association founded in 1979 in Villeurbanne that provides free, integrated shelter, emergency response, victim assistance, psychological and legal support, and professional training for women and children victims of domestic and intrafamily violence across the Lyon metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Violence Support Services

NAICS

Other Residential Care Facilities (6239), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

Keywords

• Domestic violence services
• Victim assistance
• Emergency shelter housing
• Violence prevention training
• Women support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (State/Public Subsidies): VIFFIL's primary financial model is based on public funding from the French state. The CHRS is financed by the State (DDETS, formerly DRDJSCS). The organization also receives support through departmental protocols with the Rhône region's administrative authorities. VIFFIL SOS Femmes is supported by various public and institutional funders whose logos are displayed on the website.

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VIFFIL - SOS Femmes is a French non-profit association founded in 1979 that delivers a comprehensive suite of free, confidential services to women and children victims of domestic and intrafamily violence. Its core offerings include emergency shelter in approximately 30 scattered individual apartments (CHRS), a 24/7 emergency hotline and housing device operated in partnership with Police and Gendarmerie, victim assistance (VIFFILAVI) providing legal and psychological support, a listening and reception service (AILE), a dedicated support space for children and adolescents, professional training (VIFFIL Formation), and a specialized documentation center with over 2,000 references accessible via an online portal.

Product overview

VIFFIL SOS Femmes is a French non-profit association founded in 1979 that assists women victims of domestic violence and their children. The organization operates a unified portfolio of integrated services: AILE provides initial listening and reception; the Centre d'Hébergement offers emergency shelter in individual apartments; VIFFILAVI delivers victim assistance including legal and psychological support; VIFFIL Espace Enfants provides specialized support for children and adolescents; VIFFIL Formation trains professionals on violence issues; and VIFFIL Documentation maintains a resource center with over 2,000 references. The association also manages the Dispositif d'Astreinte, a unique 24/7 emergency response system operational since July 2018, and the Service Mutualisé de Suite for post-shelter continuity of care. All services share the goal of guiding victims from crisis through safety toward autonomy and freedom.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AILE: Accueil, Information, Lieu d'Ecoute - Listening and reception service for women victims of domestic violence
• VIFFILAVI
• VIFFIL Espace Enfants et Adolescents

Products and services

• Centre d'Hébergement VIFFIL (La Maison de VIFFIL) Distributed housing center providing emergency and transitional shelter for women and children victims of domestic violence through approximately 30 individual scattered apartments across Villeurbanne, Décines, and Vaulx-en-Velin, financed by the State (DDETS) and including personalized socio-educational accompaniment toward autonomy in administrative, employment, schooling, housing, and judicial domains.
• Dispositif d'Astreinte et d'Hébergement en Urgence A 24/7, 365-days-a-year emergency hotline and safe housing platform operated in partnership with Police, Gendarmerie, and collective sheltering centers (Acoléa, Lahso, Fondation AJD) for the immediate evaluation and accommodation of women in imminent domestic danger, unique in France.
• VIFFILAVI - Service d'Aide aux Victimes Free, confidential victim assistance service receiving any person claiming to be a victim of a criminal offense regardless of age or gender, providing legal information, psychological support, social accompaniment, and judicial accompaniment (including at the Cour d'Assises and via restorative justice measures), independent of whether a complaint has been filed.
• AILE - Accueil, Information, Lieu d'Ecoute Reception, listening, information, and accompaniment service for women victims of domestic violence, their entourage, and professionals, offering telephone listening (04 78 85 76 47), individual consultations at VIFFIL Villeurbanne, and a mobile monitoring team for the entourage of victims.
• VIFFIL Espace Enfants et Adolescents Dedicated space for children and adolescents whose mothers or themselves are socially or legally followed by VIFFIL, providing individual and group psychological support with educators and psychologists, mother-baby workshops, storytelling, arts and cinema workshops, family and sibling accompaniment, and a Wednesday informal reception.
• VIFFIL Formation Professional training programs for social, health, school, and judicial professionals on domestic and intrafamily violence, covering pedagogical modules on violence within couples, psycho-traumatic consequences for children, and legal/social/psychological approaches to victim support, delivered on-site at partner institutions or at VIFFIL premises.
• VIFFIL Documentation Center Specialized documentation center with over 2,000 references including books, studies, press articles, brochures, and videos on domestic and intrafamily violence, accessible via a free online portal (viffil.centredoc.fr) by students and professionals, with a bimonthly bulletin VIFFIL-DOC distributed to subscribers.
• Service Mutualisé de Suite (SMS) Post-shelter transitional support service providing accompaniment over an 18-month period for families transitioning to autonomous housing after exiting VIFFIL's CHRS, to secure their situation and prevent recurrence of domestic violence.

Quantifiable outcome

• Only emergency housing device for women in imminent domestic danger operating 365 days/year, 24h/day in France
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ACOLÉAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018ACOLÉA is a specialized structure for the reception and care of children and adolescents, co-founder of the Service Mutualisé de Suite (SMS) with VIFFIL and LAHSo. In the emergency on-call device, Acoléa is one of three collective housing centers where women and children are accommodated at night. VIFFIL is the managing organism of the SMS.
• LAHSocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018LAHSo (association for social innovation and inclusion) is a co-founder of the Service Mutualisé de Suite with VIFFIL and Acoléa. In the emergency on-call device, Lahso is one of three collective housing centers where women and children are accommodated at night.
• Fondation AJDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Fondation AJD (Accueil de la Journee de l'Enfant) is a partner in the emergency on-call and housing device (Dispositif d'astreinte et d'hébergement en urgence), one of the three collective housing centers where women and children are accommodated at night under the device initiated by VIFFIL.
• DDETS (formerly DRDJSCS) - Direction Départementale de l'Emploi, du Travail et des SolidaritéscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018DDETS (formerly DRDJSCS) of the Rhône department is the state authority that supports and co-regulates VIFFIL's CHRS and the emergency on-call and housing device. A departmental protocol was signed with DDETS, Police, and Gendarmerie to establish the emergency device.
• Direction Départementale de la Cohésion Sociale (DDCS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011VIFFIL signed a protocol with DDCS in 2011 to evaluate the dangerousness of domestic violence situations and implement emergency hotel housing for women in danger outside office hours via the emergency housing number 115.
• France VictimescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIFFILAVI is a member of France Victimes (formerly INAVEM), the national federation of victim assistance associations that groups more than 130 associations across France. This affiliation provides institutional recognition, network resources, and a shared framework for victim assistance standards.
• Fédération Citoyens et JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIFFIL is affiliated with the Fédération Citoyens et Justice, a federation of citizen and justice organizations working in the social and judicial sector.
• Ministry of JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIFFILAVI benefits from a formal approval (agrément) from the Ministry of Justice and is conventioned by the Cour d'Appel de Lyon, providing official recognition and authorization to provide victim assistance services within the French judicial framework.
• Social Housing Providers (Bailleurs Sociaux)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIFFIL works with various social housing providers and the Lyon Metropolitan municipality to provide housing solutions for women victims of domestic violence and their children, enabling access to approximately 30 scattered individual apartments.
• Faculté de Médecine de LyonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVIFFIL professionals contribute to the Inter-University Diploma (DIU) in Victimology at the Faculty of Medicine in Lyon, training future medical and judicial professionals in victim assistance.
• Hospices Civils de LyonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVIFFIL delivers training programs on domestic violence to professionals at the Hospices Civils de Lyon (major public hospital group in Lyon), contributing to the professional development of healthcare workers in recognizing and assisting domestic violence victims.
• Police and Gendarmerie Training Centers of the RhôneminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVIFFIL provides training to police and gendarmerie officers in the Rhône department, developing their capacity to identify, receive, and handle domestic violence situations, directly supporting the emergency on-call device referral pathway.
• Social Institutions (Amicale du Nid, Armée du Salut, Forum des Réfugiés, Apprentis d'Auteuil, Odynéo, Amely)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVIFFIL delivers training on domestic and intrafamily violence to various social institutions in the Rhône area, including organizations working with refugees, homeless populations, and people with disabilities, expanding the network of professionals equipped to identify and assist victims.
• Schools of Health and Social Work (Santé Social du département)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVIFFIL delivers sensitization programs to future professionals (nursing aides, social workers, early childhood educators, nurses, social economics advisors) at schools of health and social work in the Rhône department, embedding domestic violence awareness in the foundational training of social and healthcare workers.
• SPIP (Service Pénitentiaire d'Insertion et de Probation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIFFILAVI implements Restorative Justice measures in partnership with SPIP, informing, preparing, and facilitating encounters between offenders and victims of the same offense upon their request.
• Cour d'Assises du RhôneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIFFILAVI provides accompaniment for civil parties during criminal trials at the Cour d'Assises of the Rhône under a formal convention, supporting victims through criminal court proceedings.
• Commissariat de VilleurbanneminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVIFFILAVI maintains a presence at the Villeurbanne police station with a social intervention worker (intervenante sociale) who provides immediate support to victims presenting at the commissariat.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Emmaüs France: Federation of Emmaüs social organizations in France providing housing, social reintegration, and material aid to vulnerable populations. Operates comparable public-funded shelter and reinsertion services, serving as a potential housing pathway partner for VIFFIL's post-shelter beneficiaries.
• Samu Social de Paris: Paris-based emergency social-services organization providing 24/7 outreach to homeless and vulnerable populations. Operates a comparable emergency-response model (mobile teams, hotlines, urgent sheltering) but focused on homelessness rather than DV specifically; useful functional comparison for VIFFIL's on-call device.
• Fondation Abbé Pierre: Major French foundation addressing housing insecurity and homelessness. Operates an adjacent (housing-led) social-services model with comparable public funding mechanisms and national footprint, providing complementary housing-referral pathways for VIFFIL beneficiaries transitioning to autonomy.
• Fédération Citoyens et Justice: Federation of citizen and justice organizations in the social and judicial sector of which VIFFIL is an affiliated member. Provides institutional recognition, network coordination, and shared framework for member associations working at the intersection of social support and judicial accompaniment.

Direct peers

• Solidarité Femmes: National French federation of associations supporting women victims of domestic violence. Operates a parallel network of regional DV shelters and support services across France, with comparable mission, funding model (public subsidies), and victim-centered service delivery.
• ACOLÉA: French association specialized in child and adolescent reception and care, co-founder of the Service Mutualisé de Suite with VIFFIL. Operates as both a direct operational partner (emergency housing center) and a comparable social-services peer in the Lyon metropolitan ecosystem.
• Le Refuge: French NGO providing emergency housing and support to young LGBTQ+ victims of violence and rejection. Operates a comparable shelter-based model with public funding and federation partnerships, addressing an adjacent victim population with similar crisis-to-autonomy service trajectory.
• CIDFF (Centre d'Information sur les Droits des Femmes et des Familles): National French network of information centers on women's and family rights, providing legal information, victim support, and professional training. Operates in similar public-funding model with comparable target population (women in vulnerable situations) and service portfolio (legal info, accompaniment).

Broad incumbents

• France Victimes: National federation of 130+ victim assistance associations of which VIFFILAVI is a member. Operates broader scope (all criminal offenses, not just DV) and provides institutional framework, standards, and funding coordination for member associations like VIFFILAVI.

Emerging players

• Planning Familial: French federation promoting sexual and reproductive health and women's rights, including DV awareness. Provides adjacent women's-services portfolio with comparable public funding and educational/training components, positioning it as a partial-overlap peer serving similar beneficiary demographics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/viffil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/viffil-sos-femmes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VIFFIL - SOS Femmes