Safety Planning

Your safety is very important to us. A safety plan is a useful tool when you are living in an abusive situation. The resources and ideas below may help you make decisions about what to do if you need to leave your abuser.

Plan ahead

  • Make a plan with your children so they know where to go for help when they don’t feel safe.

  • Arrange for a place to stay when you have to leave the house.

  • Hide copies of important papers.

  • Collect important phone numbers.

  • Know where your cell signal is strong in case you have to call from your house.

  • Pack and hide an overnight bag.

  • Put aside money, spare keys, and a spare 9-1-1 cell phone from the police department.

During an incident

  • Get out if you can and call 9-1-1.

  • If you can, take important items listed above.

  • Avoid rooms with only one exit.

  • Avoid kitchen, bathroom, and tool areas.

After you leave an abuser

  • Change lock, secure doors, and secure windows in your house.

  • Arrange to have someone stay with you.

  • Change your phone number.

  • Consider obtaining a protection order.

  • Notify trusted friends and family about what is happening.

At work and in public places

  • Inform your work, childcare and schools.

  • Change your daily routine.

  • Plan ahead for unexpected contact with the abuser.

If you can’t leave the situation

  • Learn where you can get help.

  • Call the YWCA for advice and support.

YWCA Walla Walla has free Safety Plan Pocket Guides that are small enough to tuck inside your shoe.

Download myPlan

This free app is offered in English and Spanish to help with safety decisions if you, or someone you care about, is experiencing abuse in an intimate relationship. It’s private, secure, personalized, & backed by research with domestic violence survivors involved every step of the way.

Versions are available for the App Store, Google Play, and for the web. The user sets a four-digit PIN, and the app includes safety features to help if an abuser demands access. The advice is customizable for any gender.

An app will never replace the expertise of a real live professional. And it isn’t a safe or accessible resource for everyone. But it is designed to expand access to individualized safety information and to encourage the majority of survivors who never seek services to reach out for help.

Call the YWCA office to talk with an advocate and begin your safety plan today.