MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul attended a training session on the Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of Crime Victim Services’ address confidentiality program, Safe at Home, in Appleton, Wis. The program offers a legal substitute address for victims or those threatened with domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, stalking, and trafficking to maintain their physical safety.
“Safe at Home helps people keep the location of their residence private,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “This program provides greater security and peace of mind to those who face dangers to their safety.”
Participants in Safe at Home can use an assigned address for mail purposes instead of their actual address. The program forwards mail from this assigned address to participants' real addresses free of charge. Celebrating its seventh year this spring, Safe at Home currently supports 1,019 active households and 2,176 active participants.
Eligibility for Safe at Home requires that applicants:
- Are residents of Wisconsin.
- Are victims or guardians/residents connected to a victim of abuse or threats thereof.
- Fear for their physical safety or that of their child/ward.
- Reside or will reside at an undisclosed location within Wisconsin.
- Will not disclose their actual address to the abuser or threatener.
Enrollees must first engage in safety planning with an application assistant—trained victim service providers designated by Safe at Home. These assistants offer education on participating in the program and provide safety planning services.
The training aimed to raise awareness about how the program functions when participants interact with system collaborators such as advocates, social service providers, legal partners, healthcare workers, government employees, school administrators, and others who might encounter a participant. Organizations interested in hosting a presentation on Safe at Home can contact safeathome@doj.state.wi.us.
Safe at Home operates under Wis. Stat. § 165.68.