What to expect when we visit your home and how you can prepare:
We know you are experiencing what is probably the worst time in your life. We understand you are scared and anxious. We promise we will listen to you, help you, and never ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. Our goal is to help you feel safe and secure….especially in your own home.
First a volunteer will contact you to get an idea of the threat you are facing so we can formulate a plan of action. Every case is different, so please divulge as much information you are comfortable telling us. Please understand the more we know then the more we can help you. We may ask if the abuser is the father/mother of your children, do they have visitation rights, are they a threat to leave the country, what is the history of abuse, do they have access to the home, is there a restraining order, have you told others, and other questions so we can get a better read on the situation.
Then we will schedule a day and time to come to your home. We strive to do this as soon as we can, preferably withing several days. We ask that you make every effort to clear your schedule to accommodate us. We ask that you hold off on any other prior engagements so you can fully devote your attention to the security solutions we put in your home, the safety planning we conduct, and the self-protection phase. If you have children it would be helpful if someone watches them during the visit or they have something to do while we are there. We never say why we are there in front of the children (often we just say we’re a security company) If you would like your children to participate, we fully encourage that.
When we arrive at your home, we conduct a security assessment and walk-through of your home. We are looking for vulnerable areas your abuser may try to exploit to gain entry. Then we install different security solutions such as alarms, door security bars, cameras, etc. It is HIGHLY recommended you familiarize yourself with each item and use it daily. We understand this may be difficult at first, as it calls for a change of habit…..but these new habits will keep you safe. We will discuss each security solution with you and show you how to use each one.
Next, we discuss your daily routines, where you are vulnerable, and how to stay vigilant during those times you are not at home. Please check our personal security tab to get general tips on how to stay safe.
Lastly, we practice some basic self-defense tactics. Strikes, breaking free from chokes, pepper spray training with fake pepper spray before we give the real spray, and taser training. We practice what to do in the event your abuser breaks in or confronts you on the street. We understand how this may re-trigger trauma for you, so please let us know if you’re not comfortable with any phase of the self-protection portion. Many clients have told us this part was not only extremely valuable but also helped psychologically as well. We encourage you to push yourself outside your comfort zone and we think you will be amazed at what you can accomplished.
What you can do
Make yourself fully available for the visit.
Promise you will utilize every piece of equipment we give you to stay safe. We are a nonprofit with a lot of people is desperate need of our services. It wouldn’t be right if we gave you free security equipment that you don’t use while others would have used it.
Know your Wifi password (if you have Wifi) and ensure you know which Wifi is yours. This is for the camera and motion sensor.
Dress Comfortably and clear out one small area for training.
We promise we will get through this together. We at FYO will stay in touch with you every step of the way, even after we leave your home.