Your Safety is the Priority
A safety plan is a personalized, practical plan that includes ways to remain safe while in a relationship, planning to leave, or after you have left. This is not a substitute for help from a domestic violence professional, but a tool to help you think through your options.
Key Steps to Consider:
- Identify a Safe Contact: Choose one or two trusted friends or family members who you can talk to about your situation without judgment. Memorize their phone numbers.
- Prepare a 'Go-Bag': Keep a bag with essentials in a safe, hidden place (e.g., at a friend's house or your workplace). Include:
- Copies of important documents (ID, passport, birth certificates, social security cards)
- A spare set of keys (car and house)
- Emergency cash and a prepaid phone
- Essential medications
- A change of clothes
- Secure Your Finances: If possible, open a separate bank account in your own name. Start putting small amounts of money aside.
- Plan Your Exit Route: Think through the logistics. Where will you go? How will you get there? When is the safest time to leave (e.g., when your partner is at work)?
- Secure Your Digital Life: Change your passwords to important accounts (email, social media, banking). Check for any tracking software on your devices. Use a safe computer (e.g., at a library or trusted friend's house) for research.
- Know Your Resources: Have the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) saved under a disguised name in your phone.