Wisconsin’s Safe at Home program

by
michael munson

June 1, 2017

Safe at Home is a statewide address confidentiality program that provides victims of actual or threatened domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, stalking, and trafficking, or those who simply fear for their physical safety with a legal substitute address to be used for both public and private purposes. Enrollment in Safe at Home allows participants to use and receive mail at an assigned address instead of their actual address. Safe at Home then forwards mail from the assigned address to participants’ actual addresses free of charge.

The intent of Safe at Home is for those who fear for their safety to be able to maintain a private, confidential home, work, or school address and gain some peace of mind. Safe at Home is one of many tools that an individual can choose as part of their overall safety plan.

ELIGIBILITY

A person is eligible to participate in Safe at Home if they are ALL of the following:

A resident of Wisconsin.
At least one of the following applies:
- They are a victim of an act or threat of abuse, a parent or guardian of a person who is a victim of an act or threat of abuse, or a resident of a household in which a victim of an act or threat of abuse also resides.
- They fear for their physical safety or for the physical safety of their child or ward.
That they reside or will reside at a location in Wisconsin that is not known by the person who committed the abuse against, or who threatens, the applicant or their child or ward.
That they will not disclose their actual address to the person who committed the abuse against, or who threatens, the applicant or their child or ward.

ENROLLMENT

Individuals intending to enroll in Safe at Home must first participate in safety planning with an Application Assistant. Application Assistants are trained victim service providers and advocates designated by Safe at Home to provide education about meaningful participation in the program and safety planning services. After an individual creates a safety plan with a designated Application Assistant, they may complete an application to enroll themselves and/or their child/ward in Safe at Home. FORGE staff are certified to provide this service; call us at 414-559-2123, or email AskFORGE@FORGE-forward.org.