A Confidentiality Program Helping Victims Become Survivors
Safe at Home is an address confidentiality program aiding victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, trafficking, and violent crimes to transition into survivors. It offers services like Substitute Address, Mail Forwarding, and Confidential Voter Registration. Eligible individuals can apply, including adult victims/survivors, family members, minor children, or incapacitated persons in fear for their safety. Survivors who have taken legal action against offenders can seek assistance. Application forms can be obtained from various sources in Iowa. Advocates from relevant coalitions assist survivors in the application process. Verification of participation can be done by contacting the Safe at Home office for confirming the status of a participant.
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SAFE AT HOME An Address Confidentiality Program Helping Victims Become Survivors
What is Safe at Home? An address confidentiality program that helps victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, trafficking and other violent crimes become survivors with the following services: Substitute Address. Mail Forwarding Service. Confidential Voter Registration and absentee ballots.
Safe at Home is NOT Witness Protection Program. Able to redact previous records. Capable from shielding participants from legal obligations, such as custody disputes.
Who Can Apply? Any adult victim or survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking or stalking; any family member living in the same home with the victim, any minor child or children, or an incapacitated person who is in fear for his or her safety can apply to Safe at Home (SAH)
Who Can Apply? Eligible survivors have taken some action with law enforcement against their offender, such as filing a complaint, seeking a protective order or cooperating with a police report. Iowa Resident.
How Do Survivors Apply? Victims or survivors must complete application forms provided by the Secretary of State. Applications will be available via: Application assistants across Iowa. Online at www.SafeAtHome.iowa.gov. Anticipating Applications to be available mid- December.
What are Application Assistants? Advocates from the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Abuse and Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Available to assist survivors with application, if survivor wants the assistance. Advocates will inform survivors about the program that could benefit from the program when they are there for other survivors.
How Do You Know Whether a Person is a Participant? Safe at Home verification card. Call the SAH office: We will ask verifying questions and answer yes or no ONLY. A participant s address is confidential, but their SAH participation is not confidential.
Where will Their Designated Address Appear? Driver s License. Non-operators ID. Student Records. Current Employment Records. Library Cards.
Will Agencies Be Notified When a Participant is Terminated? No, Safe at Home will not send notices to public or private organizations when a participant is terminated or has graduated from the program. Mail that is returned to sender may usually be determined to constitute program termination. Agencies can call SAH to verify termination.
Substitute Address Address assigned by Safe at Home Program. Same address for all participants (lot or apt. number differs). Actual address will be known only by the SAH program staff. Des Moines address. Easy to identify for 98 counties sorry Polk! Participant can use SAH address where a mailing address is required.
How Do I Know If a Participant Lives in My District? In cases where the district in which the participant lives is relevant to receive, send a written request to SAH staff. Requests can be made via mail or e-mail. SAH will then verify the district where the participant lives in and then call with a verbal confirmation.
Mail Forwarding Service All participants mail will be sent to the SAH office, then forwarded to the participant. SAH will forward all first class, legal and certified mail, as well as prescriptions and government packages. No other packages will be forwarded. We will be unable to stop mail from offender to participant.
Mail Delay? Mail will be forwarded same day, unless, there is an unavoidable reason it cannot be forwarded. Legal Mail: We are anticipating that participants will have the option of SAH staff opening legal mail to determine if it is time sensitive. If action needs to be taken by participant within 2 weeks SAH will call the participant that day to notify them.
How Do I Serve a Participant? The Secretary of State serves as the agent of service for participants. All served notices will be forwarded to participants via certified mail and if refused, the Safe at Home participant may be terminated from the program. Secretary of State will accept service at Lucas office building.
Confidential Voter Registration Registration goes through SOS. Counties will not have access to SAH voter registrations Cannot be listed in the state voter registration system. Will not appear on voter registration lists.
Absentee Voting Annually register as an absentee voter SAH will verify precinct, and request absentee ballots from participant s county auditor and send the ballot to the participant. Safe at Home participants cannot vote at the polls. Election Day Registration is not a safe option for Safe at Home participants. If this happens call SAH/SOS ASAP .
Real Estate Real Estate records are not included in the Safe at Home law. SAH office will provide information on LLC and Trusts.
Concerns from Agencies We have a database that does not take a PO Box. We are required to send forms/information to a federal agency that includes the physical address. Services that require the physical address. If their address is a Polk County address, will Polk receive the tax benefits? What happens if information of a participant is released by SAH staff or by another agency? Is there a penalty set in place?
Other Helpful Information Enrollment period is 4 years with renewal option Expiration date on their ID card. This program is not for everybody. Applicants must have relocated recently for it to be effective. We cannot erase public records already in existence If their offender already knows where they live this program will not be effective.
Other Helpful Information SAH designated address can be used as a participants work address. Participants have control over who has their designated address and their confidential address.
Routine Interaction with a Participant Taylor walks into the Recorder s office and is applying for a hunting license. He pulls out a Safe at Home authorization card to let you know that he s a participant and will not be using his residential address. What do you do? What options do you have?
Answer: Routine Interaction with a Participant Ask for the participant s card and check the expiration date. Then allow them to use the substitute address as their residential address. Always feel free to verify that the individual is a participant with our office. Using the phone number on the participant s card, call SOS and we ll verify whether or not the individual is a participant, but nothing more.
Expired Card Sam tries to use her Safe at Home address on a vehicle registration form. You ask to see her authorization card and you notice that it has expired. What do you do?
Answer: Expired Card Call the Safe at Home program and we ll check for any errors that may have occurred. If the participant has been canceled or withdrawn from the program, keep their card and mail it back to our office. We will then shred the card. This system helps maintain the integrity of the program.
District Issues Jordan goes to the library and applies for a library card. His address is in Des Moines, which would be out of district for his application. He explains that he s a Safe at Home participant and pulls out his authorization card. How do you verify that he lives in the correct district when his address is confidential?
Answer: District Issues Send a written query to the Safe at Home program with the participant s name, the reason for needing the information, the district you need verified, and a phone number. The query can be mailed in or emailed. We just need it written out on official letterhead. Once we have received your request, we will call you back. We will respond yes or no to your question and cannot give out any further information. From there, you should be able to register any participant for the services in question.
SAH Timeline Website is LIVE: www.safeathome.iowa.gov. Brochure are available! Currently developing forms and researching/visiting other states with successful programs. Application submissions begin Mid-December. Program goes into effect January 1, 2016.
Important Dates Safe at Home information Conferences: Location: Wallace Building, Des Moines. Dates: September 17 September 18 November 17 November 24 Articles to watch for: ISAC Magazine- December Issue. CityScape- December Issue. Iowa Bar Association Magazine March Issue.
How Can YOU Help? Invite us to present at your meetings/conferences. Let us know about groups/organizations we should contact Brochures in your office. Answer questions and promote the program among other county/city elected officials and agencies. Work group member - looking for Treasurers and Recorders. Ask us questions when you have them.
Questions? Christy Johnson Safe at Home Program Administrator Christy.Johnson@sos.iowa.gov 515-281-5247 Carol Olson Elections Deputy Carol.Olson@sos.iowa.gov 515-281-0145 SafeAtHome@iowa.gov
THANK YOU Every Iowan Deserves to Be SAFE AT HOME
