Iowa seeks applicants for Safe at Home program

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has announced that his office is accepting applications from people interested in participating in the new Safe at Home program.

Safe at Home is an address-confidentiality program for survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, trafficking and stalking.

'This program is about helping victims of violence become survivors,' Secretary of State Paul Pate said in a statement. 'We are prepared for the full launch on Jan. 1.

'I urge anyone who is looking for a way out of an abusive situation, so that they can move forward with their lives, to consider the Safe at Home program.'

The service allows victims to provide a mailing address that will be a post office box in Des Moines. From there, their mail is forwarded to their real home addresses by the Iowa Secretary of State's Office.

The substitute address can be used for school, employment and court records; driver's licenses; library cards; voter's registration; an absentee ballot; and even on Department of Human Services records.

The victims who sign up will be given a verification card to show they are part of the program, according to Anastasia Wilson, victim's advocate with the Linn County Attorney's Office,

Pate estimates around 150 applicants will sign up for the Safe at Home program within the first six months, and that number will grow to around 500 within the first two years.

Pate's office will work closely with the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault to institute and promote the program.

'We are thrilled to have the Safe at Home program available to individuals affected by domestic violence across the state,' said Lindsay Pingel, director of Community Engagement at the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence. 'This is another tool that will allow survivors to rebuild their lives after leaving an abusive relationship.'

Iowa joins 33 other states across the country in adopting an address- confidentiality program.

'We are extremely fortunate to have such supportive allies at the Iowa Secretary of State's Office,' said Beth Barnhill, executive director for the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault. 'They have been in contact with us every step of the way, and we appreciate their sensitivity and discretion in regards to the rollout of this law.' We applaud their efforts and we look forward to continuing to work with them to protect and empower survivors,'

State Rep. Dean Fisher, R-Garwin, spearheaded the efforts to pass the Safe at Home bill in the Iowa Legislature. It received unanimous support in both chambers and was signed into law by Gov. Terry Branstad in May. 'From the time I was first told about Safe At Home by a young mother suffering from domestic abuse, I've been eager to bring this program to Iowa. Soon it will be helping to change lives for the better. I greatly appreciate the hard work by the Secretary of State's office in implementing the program,' Fisher said.

To learn more about the Safe at Home program or to register, visit www.SafeatHome.iowa.gov. Applications are also available through state agencies across Iowa, victims' advocacy groups across the state, and at law enforcement centers.

How to apply