Domestic violence victims can apply for address confidentiality

CEDAR RAPIDS - Many victims of domestic violence have been forced to move more than once after their abuser finds out where they live, but a new program in Iowa now promises to help them keep their addresses confidential.

Anastasia Wilson, victim's advocate with the Linn County Attorney's Office, said she has already started telling victims about the Safe At Home program because they can start applying for the service in mid-December. Victims of sexual assault, human trafficking and stalking also are eligible for the program. And victims who have only filed for a court protective order and may not have filed a police report also can participate.

The service allows victims to provide a mailing address that will be a P.O. 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, Wilson said. Iowa joins 33 other states with similar confidentiality programs.

Wilson said she is working with a domestic violence victim who had gotten away from her abuser but was assaulted when her abuser obtained her new address. He was arrested and charged.

Wilson pointed out how easy it is with today's technology to find somebody's address.

The biggest fear of domestic violence victims, she said, 'is that the abusers will find out where they live. They already don't feel safe by themselves, and many will stay with friends or have to spend money on hotels to get away. And most of these women have housing restrictions because they can't afford to keep moving.”

Relocating also disrupts their children's education, and there may be transportation issues for them with employment if they move, Wilson said.

Wilson has another case involving a woman who was being stalked. If the woman had been in this program, she may have been able to avoid some of the incidents.

'This program will give victims a peace of mind and make them feel more safe and secure,” Wilson said. 'It's terrifying for them to just live with a perceived threat.”

Program officials estimate about 150 people will apply for address confidentiality in the first six months and that several hundred to a thousand will be participating after the program has been in place for two years, Wilson said.

About 500 domestic violence cases are filed each year in Linn County. According to Iowa Courts Online, 754 civil no-contact orders were filed from Sept. 4, 2014, to Sept. 4 this year. Some of those victims also may have filed criminal no-contact orders.