Safety Planning

Confidential 24 Hour Hotline / Information 1-800-596-5322

GENERAL SAFETY PLAN
The best safety plan begins with identifying several escape routes to get out of your home safely. You need to decide where you will go if you have to leave. Have a plan in place to get there. When you can, practice using your escape routes. Below is a list of some other very important things you should be sure to have planned out:

  • A bag containing medications, important papers for yourself and your children, money, keys, etc. Hide this bag in a safe, but easily accessible place. It is a good idea to change this hiding spot frequently
  • Get together with your neighbors and come up with a signal to let them know when you need help and to call 9-1-1, such as turning on a light in a specific room or opening/closing the curtains or blinds
  • Come up with a code word that means call 9-1-1 to use with your children and any other people around your home
  • You and your children should be aware of:
    • A safe place in your house where you can go if violence occurs
    • Never fight back - you could get hurt
    • Call 9-1-1 for help. Give the dispatcher your name and address and tell him/her what is happening.

WHEN THINGS GET OUT OF CONTROL

  • Try to get yourself and your children to a room or other area of your house that has an exit. Try to stay out of rooms that do not have outside doors or rooms that have items that could be used as weapons, such as the kitchen, bathroom, or garage
  • This room/area should also have a phone. If you have a cordless phone, set the phone in this room when you feel as though the situation is escalating out of control
  • Tell 9-1-1 or the police if there are weapons in the home
  • Think of your escape route so that you are ready to use it when there is a safe opportunity
  • Use your code word or signal
  • Most importantly, use your instinct and best judgment to decide what to do

IF YOU NEED TO LEAVE

  • You should open a savings account as soon as possible in your own name at a different bank. This is one step to your independence.
  • Leave money, an extra set of keys, copies of important papers and extra clothes with someone you can trust.
  • Write down your abuser's social security number and license plate number and keep it in a safe place. Give this information to the police.
  • Be sure you that you bring any medications, prescriptions, hearing aides, glasses, etc. with you. This will prevent you from having to go back for these necessities.
  • Keep our 24-hour hotline with you at all times: 1-800-596-5322. Make sure you have change in case you need to call from a pay phone.
  • If you are 60 years or older, contact Adult Protective Services to learn more about your eligibility for public and private benefits and services.

SAFETY IN YOUR OWN HOME

  • If you have children, or other dependents living with you, discuss a safety plan so that they know what to do when you are not home.
  • Let your neighbors, and landlord if applicable, know that your abuser no longer lives with you and that they should call 9-1-1 if they see your abuser near your home. Give your neighbors, and landlord if applicable, a photo or description of your abuser.

ORDERS OF PROTECTION

  • If you have been granted an Order of Protection, KEEP IT WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES! If you lose it, or it is accidentally destroyed, you can get another copy from the Court Clerk of the Court that issued the order.
  • Call 9-1-1 if your abuser violates the order.
  • Make sure that anyone that your children may stay with (school, day care, babysitters, parents, etc.) also have a copy of the order.

WHEN YOU ARE IN PUBLIC...

  • You need to make a list of who needs to be informed of your situation, and inform them (school, day care, your work, etc.), and provide a photo of your abuser to them.
  • Make sure you have a safety plan for when you are out in public. Don't walk to your car by yourself - ask someone to walk with you. Use different routes to and from work or home. Think about what you would do if something happened while you are driving (a flat tire, run out gas, etc.).

YOUR EMOTIONAL HEALTH

  • If you have to talk to your abuser, make sure you do so safely - phone, email, when someone else is around.
  • Decide who you can talk to about your situation and who can provide you and your children with the support you need. Call our 24-hour hotline or consider joining our domestic violence support group.

CHECKLIST: WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE

  • Photo ID
  • Birth Certificates
  • Money, checkbooks, credit cards, debit cards, loan/mortgage payment books
  • Social Security cards, work permit, passport, insurance cards/papers
  • Your abuser's social security number, license plate number, and photo
  • Divorce/Custody papers
  • Copies of your Order of Protection
  • Lease/Rent agreement, house deed
  • Keys to your house, car, work, etc.
  • Medications, glasses/contacts, hearing aides, etc
  • Personal items such as your address/phone book, pictures, etc.

For assistance with a safety plan, please contact the ACCESS Center closest to you:
Belfast ACCESS Center
Edna Elling, Services Navigator
44 Main Street
(585) 365-2157
TDD (800) 877-8339
Email the Belfast ACCESS Center

Belmont ACCESS Center
Sylvia McComb, Services Navigator
84 Schuyler St
(585) 268-7605
TDD (800) 877-8339
Email the Belmont ACCESS Center

Bolivar ACCESS Center
Theresa Carl, Services Navigator
71 Boss Street
(585) 928-1471
TDD (800) 877-8339
Email the Bolivar ACCESS Center

Wellsville ACCESS Center
Theresa Roeske, Services Navigator
289 North Main St
(585) 593-6106
TDD (800) 877-8339
Email the Wellsville ACCESS Center