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 of 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 (SOS). Applications will be available via: Application assistants across Iowa. Online at 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.

Participant Card

Where will Their Designated Address Appear? Driver’s License. Non-operators ID. Student Records. Current Employment Records. Library Cards.

Designated Address Participants will be assigned Designated Address by Safe at Home staff: Street Address and PO Box Street Address is phantom address Zip Code. Des Moines. Apartment Number – Same for members of the same household. **When mailing participants mail include the entire address**

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.

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 . 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: If there is an action that the participant may miss due to a mail delay-please contact the participant by other means.

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. Service is complete at the time the participant accepts service. Secretary of State will accept service at Lucas office building. Safe at Home will send notification of the date in which service was completed.

Confidential Voter Registration Registration goes through SAH staff. 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.

What to Tell Applicants 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.

What to Tell Applicants Mail cannot be picked up at the Secretary of State’s Office. Questions for Safe at Home staff: Call or . Do NOT physically come to the Secretary of State’s Office. **Other states experience offenders showing up at the Secretary of State’s Office**

What to Tell Applicants Safe at Home cannot intercept mail from offender. Can only forward first class mail, prescriptions and government packages – no personal packages (will be returned to sender) Business Day Mail Delay. Communicate with agencies, lawyer that legal mail will be delayed. Voter Registration is separate from application. Voting at Caucus is not a Safe option as it requires you to go to your polling place.

Security Measures Locked Office and Locked Filing Cabinets. Designated Address does not include our office address. All Secretary of State Employees Signing Confidentiality Agreement. Database – Built in our office. Username, Password, and Encrypted Code. Separate Network. No Internet Access. Separate Printer. 5 Individuals with Access. Short Time-out Period.

Questions? Christy Johnson Safe at Home Program Administrator SAFE Carol Olson Elections Deputy

THANK YOU Every Iowan Deserves to Be SAFE AT HOME