About Safe At Home
Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program Services
The Safe at Home program can provide victims of domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, and sexual assault with the following core services:
- A legal substitute address that can be used in place of their residential address
- Mail forwarding
Program participants use the substitute address for interacting with government agencies so that the residential address is hidden from public records. Participant mail can be sent to the substitute address and will then be repackaged and forwarded to participants at their actual address. Safe at Home services are meant to be a tool for survivors that is part of a comprehensive safety plan. These services are provided at no cost to program participants.
Substitute Address
The Safe at Home program provides participants with a legal substitute address to be used in place of their actual home address. Generally, participants should use their substitute address instead of their actual address whenever possible. Under Utah law, all state and local government agencies must accept a participant’s substitute address. Private companies may accept the substitute address, but are not required to do so.
Mail Forwarding
The Safe at Home program forwards all first class mail addressed to participants several times for week. Mail is not forwarded on weekends and state holidays. First class mail includes most types of personal mail, such as letters, postcards, and bills. This also includes certified and registered mail. Safe at Home does not forward marketing mail (“junk mail” advertisements from businesses or nonprofits) or periodicals (magazines, newspapers, or newsletters). Safe at Home does not accept packages, with the exception of clearly marked prescriptions or medical devices. These unaccepted items will be returned to sender.
Enrollment Period
Program participants are certified for four years once accepted into the program, and may renew their certification for additional four year terms. Participants can continue program services as long as needed, and may voluntarily withdraw from the program at any time.
Program Materials
Once Safe at Home receives and processes a program application, Safe at Home sends the new participant household a “Welcome Packet” containing program instructions, forms, and authorization cards. The authorization cards show the assigned substitute address. Program participants must present their authorization card when creating or changing public records.
Participant Confidentiality
Enrolling in the Safe at Home program protects some (but not all) types of participant information.
Confidential Information
- Actual home address
- Actual mailing address, if different from home address
- City of residence
- County of residence
- Voting precinct
- Phone number
- Unique identifying information related to a participant’s home, work, or school address
Non-Confidential Information
- Safe at Home program participation
- Date of Safe at Home enrollment
- Participant’s substitute address
- State of residence
- Records created more than 90 days prior to enrollment
- Information voluntarily provided by the participant to a state or local government agency
Emergency Release of Participant Information
Safe at Home is legally required to release a participant’s actual home address to a criminal justice agency if the information is required pursuant to a criminal proceeding or investigation involving a participant. Safe at Home will establish a procedure to review the validity of the requested information and law enforcement will ensure the information is used only for the stated purpose and not retained after the reason for the request has passed.