What now?
Non-Emergency Resources:
If you are not in imminent danger but you would like to get help, you can start developing a safety plan. Click here for personal safety planning and click here for tips on how others can help you safety plan.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline also provides confidential, anonymous assistance to survivors who are thinking about leaving or just want to speak to an advocate. You can call them at 1-800-799-7233 or talk to them via chat at https://www.thehotline.org (click "Chat Now").
You can also reach out to your local domestic violence services for support. Every state has a domestic violence coalition with information about services in your town or county. For WA State individuals, you can find that information here.
Domesticshelters.org also has a national (U.S.) search feature for finding nearby help, including emergency shelters.
Emergency Resources:
The ZOE Project is not a crisis response resource.
If you feel you are in imminent danger, and you feel it is safe for you to do so, then we encourage you to call 911.
If you need urgent access to basic human needs resources, emergency shelter, housing, mental health care, income support, and/or child support, call 211 for help and referrals.
If you feel you are in mental distress and are thinking about suicide, call The National Suicide Hotline to talk to someone who can help you at 1-800-273-8255 or chat with a counselor through their live message feature.
First Steps to Safety:
There are small steps you can take to begin protecting yourself from your abuser's behavior. Safety planning is one way to help yourself or someone you know who is in an abusive relationship. We also have some quick tips available on this page to help you get started.
Finding support from other survivors is also helpful, if it's safe for you to do this. Here are some online resources we recommend where you can read others' stories and get further insight from people who are, or have been, in your shoes:
“Remember: It is not your fault. There is nothing you have done or are doing to cause the abuse. It is solely the choice of the abuser to abuse. There are people out there who want to help and who will believe you.
You know your abuser and you know yourself. Make decisions that feel right for you and the situation you are in. If others are pressuring or judging you, ask them to read the advice on this page. ”