Get a bag together with:
- Money
- Phone numbers for friends relatives, doctors, schools, taxi services, and your local domestic violence organization;
- a change of clothing for you and your children
- Medication that you or your children usually take
- Copies of your children's birth certificates, social security cards, school records and immunizations
- Copies of legal documents for you and your abuser. This may include social security cards, passports, greencards, medical records, insurance information, birth certificates, marriage license, wills, and welfare identification information
- Copies of financial documents for you and your abuser. This may include pay stubs, bank account information, a list of credit cards you hold by yourself or together with your abuser
- The evidence you've been collecting to show that you've been abused
- A few things you want to keep, like photographs, jewelry or other personal items
Hide this bag somewhere he will not find it. Try to keep it at a trusted friend or neighbor's house. Avoid using next-door neighbors, close family members, or mutual friends. Your abuser might be more likely to find it there.
If you're in an emergency and need to get out right away,
don't worry about gathering these things. While they're helpful to have, getting out safely should come first.
