Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Secretary of State — Safe at Home Program

By Debra Bowen, California Secretary of State

Crimes of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault affect millions of Americans each year. As California’s Secretary of State, I am proud to administer the Safe at Home address confidentiality program that offers anonymity to victims of these crimes.

Safe at Home participants use a free P.O. Box in Sacramento—instead of their home address—to help them maintain their privacy when receiving first-class mail, opening a bank account, filling out government documents, registering to vote, getting a California driver’s license, and much more. Since 1999, Safe at Home has helped to protect more than 6,000 survivors of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault, as well as reproductive health care workers.
Safe at Home Program
P.O. Box 846
Sacramento, CA 95812

Telephone:
(877) 322-5227

TTY/TDD:
(916) 651-1304

safeathome@sos.ca.gov

To enroll in the Safe at Home program, applicants need to contact one of many enrolling agencies that can be found on the Safe at Home website. The enrolling agencies are trained to help people apply for the program and answer any questions they may have.

Once enrolled into Safe at Home, participants receive an identification card and a letter confirming their enrollment that helps to explain the Safe at Home program to California business entities. California state and county government agencies must accept the Safe at Home post office box as the participant’s mailing address.

Participating in the Safe at Home program gives victims an additional tool in their overall safety plan.



California Secretary of State Debra Bowen administers Safe at Home, the national model for confidential address programs, and authored some of the Safe at Home laws while previously serving as a state legislator. She served six years in the State Assembly and eight years in the State Senate, before being elected Secretary of State in 2006. She was reelected to her second term as Secretary of State in 2010. Secretary Bowen is a leader in open government reform, election integrity, and personal privacy rights.