Handouts · Safety & Resources
Getting Help & Resources
Where to turn for support with domestic or intimate partner violence. Everything here is free and confidential. You do not have to have made any decision to reach out.
If You're in Danger Now
Call 911 if you or your children are in immediate danger.
To quickly leave a website, close the tab or press the Esc key. Internet and phone use can be tracked — consider using a device the other person can't access (a friend's phone, or a computer at a library).
Hotlines (24/7, Free)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
Call 1-800-799-7233 (1-800-799-SAFE)
Text START to 88788 · chat at thehotline.org - Deaf / hard of hearing: video phone 1-855-812-1001
- StrongHearts Native Helpline: 1-844-762-8483
- love is respect (teens & young adults): 1-866-331-9474, text LOVEIS to 22522
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
Interpreters are available in many languages. You can call just to talk through your options.
What an Advocate Can Do
A domestic violence advocate is a trained, confidential supporter — not the police and not the court. They can:
- Listen without judgment and help you sort out your options
- Help you make a safety plan
- Connect you to emergency shelter, housing, and financial help
- Explain protective orders and go with you to court
- Help with children, benefits, and immigration questions
Staying Safer Online
- Use a device the other person can't access when looking for help.
- Check your phone for tracking or "find my" apps and shared locations.
- Change passwords from a safe device; turn off location sharing.
- Clearing browser history can help — but a sudden empty history can raise suspicion; a separate safe device is safer.
- Be cautious with the patient portal and shared email — ask your clinician what's safe to send home.
Planning Ahead
If you ever need to leave quickly, it helps to prepare early. Consider keeping (somewhere safe or with someone you trust):
- IDs, birth certificates, immigration and insurance papers
- Some cash and a card; a spare set of keys
- Medications and a list of them; important phone numbers
- A few things for the children and any comfort items
- A code word with a trusted person that means "call for help"
An advocate can help you build a full plan. See also our Safety Plan worksheet.
Legal Protections
- Protective / restraining orders can legally order the other person to stay away. Advocates and legal aid can help you apply.
- Keep a record — dates, photos of injuries, threatening messages — stored somewhere safe.
- Immigrants: protections like a VAWA self-petition or a U visa may let you seek status without the other person. Ask for an immigration attorney or a DV legal-aid program.
- Legal help is often free through domestic violence programs.