Safe at Home program expands to include assault survivors
Assault survivors in Iowa are now eligible to enroll in an address confidentiality program, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced in a release Thursday. The Safe at Home program began in 2016 to provide participants with a legal-substitute address that can be used on public and private records at no cost. Additionally, mail is forwarded and confidential voter registration and absentee balloting is provided by the program. The expansion of the program is part of a new law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in June. Participants now include survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, assault and stalking. “We want all Iowans to be safe and feel protected in their own homes, especially those who have already endured a violent crime,” Pate said. “By having their addresses hidden, survivors don’t have to worry about constantly looking over their shoulder. It makes it a lot harder for their abuser to find them.” The Safe at Home program currently includes more than 675 participants in more than 60 counties. More information can be found on the Safe at Home website.