Safety Planning
What is a
Safety Plan?
If you are worried about your safety or the safety of a loved one, reach out to our advocates, and they can create a personalized safety plan for you. A safety plan can help you lower your risk of getting hurt by your partner. It can also provide you with important information that will help you protect yourself in the future. Call our hotline 24 hours a day to reach someone who can help you.
You're Not Alone
Domestic abuse is more common than you think, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay or “normal.” However, leaving is the most dangerous time in an abusive relationship for a survivor. Making a safety plan can reduce the risk of physical and emotional violence.
Stay Safe, Whatever You Decide
Whether you want to leave your partner or not, you can call the 24-hour emergency shelter to discuss your options. Our advocates are empathetic and will listen to your story without judgment.
To help make it easier to get to a safe place, your advocate may talk to you about keeping all of your important documents in a safe place. You may think about storing important papers at a friend’s home. Take note of all of the violent incidents that have happened to you in a journal or your Note’s app. Consider starting to save an emergency fund and keeping in a place that only you know about.
Making Electronics Safe
To keep your phone or other electronics private, you can change your lock code and stop sharing your location, if you feel it’s safe to do so. You are the expert in your own safety because you know your situation best. You can also change the passwords on your social media accounts and set them to private.
You can also buy a prepaid mobile phone to keep it in a safe place, so you can use it without your partner seeing your activity. You might also save important documents and messages on a portable USB flash drive for around $10.
What to Take
Keep all of your important documents and emergency fund in one place, so you can easily grab them if you want to leave in a hurry. Some of these important documents include your driver’s license, your passport, your birth certificates, your Social Security cards, and your health insurance and Medicare cards. You might also think about keeping your recent tax returns, property deeds, car insurance documents, and court documents in this safe place. If you have a protective order, make sure that you have a copy of it with you at all times. You can also distribute this document to your children’s schools and employers.
Keeping Children Safe
Make sure that your kids know it is not their job to protect you and to never intervene if your abuser is hurting you. You can show them safe places inside and outside your home to hide if your partner is showing abusive behavior. You may also consider teaching them safe words or phrases and sharing them with loved ones outside the home, so they can covertly communicate that your family needs help.
Safety Planning Support
Who We Serve
HDNBC proudly serves anyone impacted by domestic abuse, family violence, or teen dating abuse regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, disability, immigration status, primary language, or sexuality. Multigenerational families with kids (and adults) of all ages are supported. We can also provide safety for pets.