All 102 eligible residents participated in the study. The eligibility criteria included being adult female shelter clients who had experienced domestic violence in their current heterosexual intimate relationship. The survey instrument collected information on participants' sociodemographic characteristics (age, education, ethnicity, marital status, and number of children); types of abuse in current intimate relationship (physical, emotional, verbal, sexual abuse, stalking and harassment, and abuse with a weapon); mental health issues, including suicidality and use of alcohol and other drugs by study participants and their partners; and help-seeking behaviors from formal systems, including reporting to police, seeking restraining orders, obtaining counseling, and seeking medical attention. In addition, participants were asked about where they intended to go when they left the shelter. Univariate descriptive analyses of the data were followed by bivariate and cluster analyses. A total of 19 participants (19 percent) reported their intention to return to their abusers, and 44 participants (43 percent) indicated their intention not to return to their abusive partners; 38 percent of the participants did not specify their intention about housing when they left the shelter. The findings indicate that those who reported they would return to their abusive partners had higher frequency of suicidality and greater alcohol use; they also sought formal services to a lesser extent than the women who indicated they would not return to the abusive partner. The findings suggest that shelter programs should be attentive to substance abuse by women in abusive relationships. Also, their intimate partners should become an integral component of shelter-based services. Shelters should also have an effective counseling program, and this should continue for an extended period after the woman leaves the shelter. Services should also be differentiated according to the types of abuse experienced and the sociodemographic characteristics of the women. 3 figures, 3 tables, and 36 references