| Safe at Home News: February 2007 |
| Welcome to the premier issue of the Safe at Home e-newsletter |
| The California "Safe at Home" program was established in 1999 as a confidential mail forwarding program to aid victims of domestic violence. In subsequent years the program has been expanded to include victims of stalking and sexual assault along with additional services such as confidential voter registration; suppression of DMV records; confidential name change and other services to help protect victims from being found by their abusers or stalker. The Safe at Home program currently serves over 2500 Californians. |
| In order to improve awareness of the Safe at Home program and its services, the "Safe at Home News" will be released quarterly to enrolling agencies, government and private organizations, and other stakeholders involved in the fight to end domestic violence, stalking, and sexual abuse. Each newsletter will contain information on current Safe at Home activities, legislative updates and helpful information on how participants and enrolling agencies can best utilize the Safe at Home program. For more information regarding the Safe at Home program, please go to our website at www.CASafeAtHome.org. |
| Debra Bowen is sworn in as California's 30th Secretary of State |
Debra Bowen was sworn in on January 8, 2007, in Sacramento as California's 30th Secretary of State. She's only the sixth woman to be elected to a statewide constitutional office and she's been a long-time supporter of the Safe at Home program. Just last year, she authored two pieces of legislation that became law on January 1, 2007. SB 1062 (Chapter 639) allows sexual assault victims to enroll in Safe at Home and SB 1743 (Chapter 689) removes the requirement to publish proposed confidential name changes for Safe at Home participants. |
 |
| During her years in the Legislature, Secretary of State Bowen authored several key pieces of legislation to help victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child and elder abuse. In addition to the recent legislation affecting Safe at Home, Secretary Bowen has authored the following laws to aid victims: |
AB 1962 (1998) |
Permits anyone under the age of 14 who is the victim of a sexual assault to
testify against their accusers via two-way closed circuit television if
a judge approves. |
| SB 1089 (1999) |
Requires the Department of Social Services to develop
an education and training program on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) for professionals, such as judges, law enforcement officers,
social workers, physicians and others who regularly come into contact
with foster children. |
SB 185 (2001) |
Prior to the enactment of this bill, the law required
the Department of Health Services (DHS) to issue grants to battered women shelters using an request for
application process (RFA). The entire RFA process is based on an
application that may look good on paper but since DHS doesn't perform
site visits of the shelters it funds, there's no way to know whether
shelters are performing quality services, or living up to the terms of
their contract. This bill requires DHS to monitor its grant recipients
much as the Office of Homeland Security must monitor the shelters it awards grants to for similar
purposes. |
SB 914 (2004) |
Consolidates domestic violence and sexual assault/rape
crisis programs formerly administered by Office of Criminal Justice
Planning and the Department of Health Services within the Office of
Homeland Security. The purpose of consolidating these programs is to
create a more effective program and ensure money is being spent to serve victims, not running duplicate programs in multiple agencies. |
| As Secretary of State, Debra Bowen plans to continue her active role as a victim advocate and expand the reach of the Safe at Home program to ensure that all Californians who have been victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking are aware of the program and the benefits it provides. Participation in Safe at Home is a critical step for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking in ensuring that their future lives and the lives of their families will be free from fear and abuse. |
| New Legislation signed for Safe at Home |
| AB 2169 | Extends the "sunset date" for the Safe at Home Program from 2008 to 2013. (Click here for legislation) |
| SB 1062 | Allows victims of sexual assault to enroll in Safe at Home.
|
| SB 1743 | Removes the requirement to publish “confidential name changes” in local newspapers (Click here for legislation) |
| New Safe at Home outreach materials featuring a message from Secretary of State Bowen are available by contacting the Safe at Home Program at: (877) 322-5227. |
| Upcoming Events and Dates to Remember |
| Each year key months are designated to focus on national issues: January was Stalking Awareness month; April is Victim Awareness month and October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Organizations throughout the state and country hold special events during these months and throughout the year to increase awareness of issues that affect us all. |
Safe at Home will be participating in several events inside and outside of California in the coming months. If you are interested in meeting with us or attending a training, please contact us at safeathome@sos.ca.gov or (877) 322-5227. |
| Date | Location | Event |
| 03/16-17/07 | San Francisco | 2007 National Conference on Health |
| and Domestic Violence | ||
| RSVP: Family Violence Prevention Fund | ||
| 03/19-20/07 | Long Beach | A Contract for Change, Mobilizing to End |
| DV in the African American Community | ||
| Safe at Home Booth | ||
| RSVP: (612) 624-5357 | ||
| 03/28/07 | San Francisco | Safe at Home Enrolling Agency Training |
| 455 Golden Gate Ave. 94102 1-3 pm | ||
| RSVP: Safe at Home | ||
| 04/04/07 | Sacramento | Safe at Home Enrolling Agency Training |
| Secretary of State's Office | ||
| 1500 11th St., Multi-Purpose Room | ||
| 1 to 3 pm RSVP: Safe at Home | ||
| 04/10/07 | San Diego | 7th Annual S.D. Family Justice Center |
| Conference – Safe at Home Outreach | ||
| RSVP: www.familyjusticecenter.org | ||
| 04/16-18/07 | Houston | End Violence Against Women International |
| Conference – Safe at Home Booth | ||
| RSVP: www.evawintl.org |
| If you would like to schedule an enrolling agency training in your area, please contact us at (877) 322-5227 or SafeAtHome@sos.ca.gov. |
| (If you do not want to receive this e-newsletter, please click on this link to remove your name and contact information from our mailing list.) |