Safety Issue 3:
When Preparing to Leave
- Seek a protection or restraining order in court. Make extra copies of the order and keep them in safe places.
- Open a checking and/or savings account in your own name so you can start to establish or increase your independence.
- Rent a Post Office box to receive mail that may not be safe to receive at home (court or other legal correspondence, housing applications, etc.)
- Think of other ways in which you can increase your independence, such as having your own car.
- Keep a cell phone that has 911 pre-programmed as well as your local domestic violence agency’s telephone number.
- If you do not have a cell phone, carry important telephone numbers with you at all times (24-Hour crisis hotline, friends, or relatives). Also carry change or a calling card with you for emergency phone calls.
- Review your Safety Plan as often as possible. Remember: Leaving may be the most dangerous time.