S.H.E. is your free, centralized safety guide for navigating Downtown Orlando. Emergency contacts, safety tips, a caution area map, self-defense skills, and local help, all in one place.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911 now. These resources are here for you 24/7.
Practical, actionable advice for everyday situations, at any age.
📌 Tap the pin on any tip to save it to My Dashboard for quick access later.
Keep your head up, walk at a steady pace. Avoid looking lost or distracted.
Keep one ear free so you can hear what's around you and notice threats early.
Use Google Maps or Find My Friends live location with trusted people.
Know your route before you leave. Identify well-lit streets and busy areas.
Choose well-lit routes even if they're longer. Avoid shortcuts through dark alleys.
Before getting in at night, glance in back seats. Have keys ready before approaching.
Travel with a friend when possible. If alone, let someone know your whereabouts.
Apps like bSafe, Noonlight, or Shake2Safety let friends track you in real time.
Keep social media accounts private. Never post your real-time location.
Keep your drink in hand at all events. If you leave it, get a fresh one.
Check the license plate, car model, AND driver photo before getting in.
If you see someone being harassed: check in, create a distraction, or get help.
Agree on a secret word with a trusted adult. If you text it, they come get you.
If something feels wrong, it probably is. Your instincts are powerful.
If something happened to you or someone you know, speak up. You're not alone.
The tips you've saved, all in one place, like your own safety board.
Community-reported data. Always trust your own instincts.
These are not "safe zones." No area can be guaranteed safe. This guide simply highlights spots where extra caution has been reported. Click any marker on the map for details, or tap a card below to zoom in.
Busy at night but alcohol-related incidents increase. Go with friends, have a plan.
Poor lighting in many structures. Park near exits, have keys ready, try to use daytime.
Well-lit and busy by day, but isolated paths after dark have been flagged by the community.
Less-trafficked streets behind main corridors have poor lighting and minimal foot traffic.
Practical techniques and awareness tools. No experience required.
Self-defense isn't just physical. Awareness, confidence, and preparation are your most powerful tools.
Always know what's around you. Before entering any space, identify exits, note who's nearby, and trust your instincts if something feels off.
Your voice is your first and most powerful weapon. Using it correctly can deter an attacker and attract help.
You don't need to be strong. You need to be decisive. Target vulnerable areas and run toward safety.
Remember: The goal is to escape, not to win. Strike once decisively and run toward people and light.
Use technology as an extra layer of protection before you need it.
Local and national organizations for women's safety, support, and healing, all free and confidential.
Your anonymous answers help us build a better safety map for Downtown Orlando.
Tell us about where and when you feel unsafe in Downtown Orlando. Takes under 3 minutes.
Open Survey →A community-led initiative for women's safety in Downtown Orlando.
S.H.E. (Safety for Her Empowerment) exists because every woman deserves to feel safe wherever she goes. We're a community-led initiative providing free, practical, and accessible safety resources tailored to Downtown Orlando.
From emergency contacts and self-defense skills to safe route mapping and local support organizations, everything on this platform is designed to be immediately useful: no sign-up, no cost, no barriers.
None of the statistics, maps, or safety information shared on this platform can guarantee an increase in your personal safety. No tip, resource, or data point can promise that following it will prevent harm.
Our goal is solely to help spread awareness and connect women with existing resources, not to make safety guarantees. Please always trust your own judgment, and in an emergency, call 911 or use the hotlines listed on this site.
Our goal is to create a centralized platform that makes women's safety resources easier to access. Today, many valuable resources already exist: hotlines, shelters, community organizations, educational materials, self-defense programs, and emergency services. But they're often spread across dozens of different websites. Rather than replacing these resources, we want to bring them together into one place where users can quickly find the information they need. Although we're beginning with a website, we'd like to build it with the long-term goal of eventually expanding it into a mobile app.
For this project, accessibility means allowing users to locate trusted safety information quickly without having to search multiple websites or organizations. Whether someone is looking for a safe walking route, a crisis hotline, nearby resources, or educational information, S.H.E. should serve as a single starting point.
The map will combine several sources of information into one place, including police stations, hospitals, fire stations, women's shelters, public transportation stops, community organizations, well-lit or high-traffic areas (where data is available), and other verified safety resources. Instead of labeling places as simply "safe" or "unsafe," we'd like the map to provide information that helps users make informed decisions. The map will also include two additional layers:
Our goal is to combine objective public information with community feedback rather than relying on only one source.
A searchable database of trusted local resources, including emergency hotlines, women's shelters, counseling services, victim advocacy organizations, legal aid, self-defense classes, community organizations, and transportation resources.
A collection of evidence-based information covering situational awareness, personal safety strategies, rideshare safety, travel safety, emergency planning, reporting options, and digital safety.
You can already pin your favorite Safety Tips to My Dashboard for quick access. Next, we'd like to expand it to bookmarked organizations, saved emergency contacts, and more.
In the future, we'd also like to include community events, workshops, partner organizations, and volunteer opportunities.
Our current plan is to use several trusted sources, including:
The young women behind S.H.E., working to make Downtown Orlando safer for everyone.
Hi, I'm Kaitlyn Achong and I'm our Head of Project Management for our community project, Safety for Her Empowerment, also known as S.H.E. I am in charge of creating and planning ideas on how to improve and spread our mission. Our mission is to expand awareness around Central Florida, specifically in Downtown Orlando in hopes of making the area safer for women and young girls.
Hi, I'm Kashvi Gupta and I'm our Head of Analytics. I provide insight and information regarding the statistics of harassment, violence, and accessibility of resources towards women. As young girls living and going to school in the Downtown district, we found that over half of women on average experience verbal harassment in some form.
Hi, I'm Mabel Lin and I'm our Head of Media. I manage all of our social media platforms across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and our website. Through our socials and website, our objective is to increase our audience's knowledge on women's safety and how to protect yourself, wherever you live.
Hi, I'm Elena Mchayleh and I'm our Research Specialist. I'm in charge of managing all research aspects of our project. I assist in cumulating research to inform our audience and searching for women's shelters, defense classes, and whichever other tools are provided to assist women in any situation.
Take the survey, share with friends, or follow us on social media to help S.H.E. reach more women in Orlando.
Site usage & map submission metrics.
Loading metrics…
Tap a number below to call immediately.
For the S.H.E. team only.