If you’ve lived somewhere a long time, odds are you feel relatively safe there. That sense of safety is something you should never take for granted. And it should be something you fully consider if and when you decide to move to a new neighborhood.
Wherever you live, it’s important to try and maintain your and your family’s own immediate safety. And you should be actively aware of what’s happening around your new area in general.
These tips can help ensure you and your family feel safe in a new neighborhood:
- Become involved in neighborhood groups
- Stay informed on things happening around you
- Consider a security system
- Find out more about your neighbors
Join Local Groups
A great way to stay safe is to get involved in your new community. Consider joining local social, safety, or health-focused groups in the area. The personal community connections you could form in the process means it’s more likely that someone will notice if something happens to you. Plus, it helps to lessen feelings of homesickness, boost your and your kids’ mental and emotional health, and so forth.
A good way to find local groups in your area is to find local chapters of groups you were in before. This concept offers a familiar structure in a brand-new environment, which can be particularly helpful for children who are having a hard time adjusting.
For example, check to see if there’s a neighborhood watch in the area that you could join. Or, if your child was a member of the Scouts, you may want to re-enroll him or her in the local Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts chapter in your area.
Read the Local News
You probably know a lot about the neighborhood you’ve lived in for many years. But what about a neighborhood you’ve just moved to? The local news can be a helpful tool when you try to determine how safe your new neighborhood is.
It’s often difficult for new transplants to understand a new neighborhood fully. What are the “good” and “bad” areas of the neighborhood? That’s where the local news comes in handy.
Local news stations often report on a variety of things happening in the area, including criminal activity. Look around and try to vaguely map where these criminal reports happen. It’ll at least give you a good idea of where criminal behavior may be more concentrated.
That way, you’ll know if your family is especially at risk because of where you work, go to school, or live.
Use a Security System
If you do live in a less-safe area, or you just want to maximize your family’s security, a security system may be the way to go. You don’t necessarily need a full security system with cameras all around your home to feel safe. There are plenty of security systems that are either intentionally meant for home use or that can be adapted to residential use.
You can scale a security system to meet your family’s specific needs. In the process of doing so, it’s also important to make sure you use a security system that’s compatible with your neighborhood.
For example, a microphone in a security system can provide additional evidence if something happens. However, it may not be allowed due to privacy laws in your state or city. Make sure you pay attention to what may or may not be covered under these laws.
Learn More About Your New Neighbors
In general, learning about your neighbors can be a good way to integrate with the community around you. If you make a concerted effort to reach out to your neighbors, it’ll be easier for you to feel like a genuine part of the community. However, another reason you should make an attempt to learn more about your neighbors is safety.
When you need to know more about your neighbors, you can start gathering evidence from a variety of sources. First, go to neighborhood events to meet your neighbors. While there, try to get a feel for your neighbors and if they are safe for you and your children to be around.
If that’s not possible, you could always go online to conduct your investigation. You could check out neighbors and neighborhoods on dedicated websites. Or they could be on social media.
A people search website, in particular, makes it easier for you to gather hard data about the people in your area. This could possibly include information like a neighbor’s criminal records or sex offender status. Don’t have names? You can still perform address lookups on the homes around you to see if you can find any information on the owner or other residents.
Conclusion
Staying safe in certain situations may require a variety of tools you don’t already have in your tool chest. That’s especially true if you’ve just moved to a new neighborhood, and you don’t have a lot of knowledge about the people around you. As it turns out, one of your greatest safety tools in any situation is information.
Interested in maintaining your safety and your privacy, and just generally learning more about the people and places around you? Read the PeopleFinders Blog for more information.
Photo credit: Kenishirotie – stock.adobe.com
