If you or your children are in immediate physical danger, call 911.

If you or your children are in danger and may need shelter, contact us immediately at:

Illinois Valley Safe House Alliance 535 E. River Street Cave Junction, OR 97523 Advocacy Line: 541-592-2515 Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00

If you need help after hours, contact:

Women's Crisis Support Team 541.479.9349 or 800.750.9278 crisis line

Creating your own safety plan

If you are at home & you are being threatened or attacked:

Stay away from the kitchen (the abuser can find weapons, like knives, there)

Stay away from bathrooms, closets or small spaces where the abuser can trap you

Get to a room with a door or window to escape

Get to a room with a phone to call for help; lock the abuser outside if you can

Call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away for help; get the dispatcher's name

Think about a neighbor or friend you can run to for help If a police officer comes, tell him/her what happened; get his/her name & badge number

Get medical help if you are hurt Take pictures of bruises or injuries

Call us at 541-592-2515 to create a safety plan

Creating your own safety plan

Protecting yourself at home:

Learn where to get help; memorize emergency phone numbers Keep a phone in a room you can lock from the inside; if you can, get a cellular phone that you keep with you at all times

If the abuser has moved out, change the locks on your door; get locks on the windows

Plan an escape route out of your home; teach it to your children

Think about where you would go if you need to escape

Ask your neighbors to call the police if they see the abuser at your house; make a signal for them to call the police, for example, if the phone rings twice, a shade is pulled down or a light is on

Pack a bag with important things you'd need if you had to leave quickly; put it in a safe place, or give it to a friend or relative you trust Include cash, car keys & important information such as: court papers, passport or birth certificates, medical records & medicines, immigration papers

Get an unlisted phone number Block caller ID Use an answering machine; screen the calls

Take a good self-defense course

Creating your own safety plan

Making your children safer:

Teach them not to get in the middle of a fight, even if they want to help

Teach them how to get to safety, to call 911, to give your address & phone number to the police

Teach them who to call for help

Tell them to stay out of the kitchen

Give the principal at school or the daycare center a copy of your court order; tell them not to release your children to anyone without talking to you first; use a password so they can be sure it is you on the phone; give them a photo of the abuser

Make sure the children know who to tell at school if they see the abuser

Make sure that the school knows not to give your address or phone number to ANYONE

Creating your own safety plan

Protecting yourself outside the home:

Change your regular travel habits

Try to get rides with different people

Shop and bank in a different place

Cancel any bank accounts or credit cards you shared; open new accounts at a different bank

Keep your court order and emergency numbers with you at all times

Keep a cell phone & program it to 911 (or other emergency number)

Creating your own safety plan

Making yourself safe at work:

Keep a copy of your court order at work

Give a picture of the abuser to security and friends at work

Tell your supervisors - see if they can make it harder for the abuser to find you

Don't go to lunch alone

Ask a security guard to walk you to your car or to the bus

If the abuser calls you at work, save voice mail and save e-mail

Your employer may be able to help you find community resources

Creating your own safety plan