Safe at Home enrollment

Right to protect is a safe at home enrolling agency

Right to protect is not bound by the restrictions that often come with public grant funding. Right to Protect will assist with applications for anyone who otherwise qualifies for participation in the program, regardless of where they reside (in the State of California). or their "victim type". We are not just an enrolling agency but our Founder has been a Safe at Home participant for over 12 years and is intimately familiar with how the program works and how to implement the measures afforded participants under the law.

For more information or to enroll, call us at (209) 595 - 8248 or email us at safeathome@rtp501c3.org

Information on the safe at home program:

What is the California Safe at Home program?
Safe at Home is a confidential address program administered by the California Secretary of State’s Office. When used as part of an overall safety plan, Safe at Home offers program participants a substitute mailing address to receive first class, certified, and registered mail.
Once a participant qualifies for the free program, the Safe at Home P.O. Box becomes their official address. State and local government agencies are required to accept the Safe at Home address on the participants’ identification card; however private companies and the federal government are not.

How does the California Safe at Home program work?

Mail is forwarded to participants at least three days per week.
All Service of Process documents are delivered to the Safe at Home Program and then forwarded to the participant via certified mail.
The initial enrollment period is four years.
Participants have the option to renew every four years.
Government agencies are notified, in writing, of a participant’s withdrawal or termination from the Program.
All first class, certified and registered mail is forwarded to the participant’s mailing address on file with Safe at Home, at no cost to the participant.
Safe at Home does not forward packages, magazines, catalogues, prescriptions, liquids, or fragile items.

Who is eligible?
Applicants are eligible to participate if they:

Reside in California
Are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, human trafficking, elder or dependent adult abuse, or a reproductive health care worker
Are a household member of a victim listed above
Are in fear for their safety, or for the safety of a minor child or incapacitated adult

What are the services provided?
Safe at Home provides the following:

Confidential mail forwarding
Agent for Service of Process
Confidential voter registration
Use of the designated Safe at Home address and PO Box number by California state, county, and local government agencies when creating or modifying a public record
Renewable Safe at Home enrollment

Once enrolled, participants can choose from several services that may strengthen their overall safety plan.

Optional services offered by other California government agencies include:

Department of Motor Vehicles Records Suppression Program
Confidential name change petition through the California Superior Court system (*Right to Protect is the only organization throughout the entire State of California that offers assistance with the Confidential Identity Change process.)
Confidential Vehicle Smog Certificate through the Bureau of Automotive Repair
Online privacy protection through the office of the California Attorney General.

Who needs to comply?

State and Local Government: Pursuant to Government Code, sections, 6207 and 6215.5 a program participant may request California state, county, city agencies and the courts to use his or her designated Safe at Home mailing address . When creating or modifying a public record (excluding the record of any birth, fetal death, death, or marriage certificates), state and local government agencies shall accept the designated address as a program participant's substitute address, unless the California Secretary of State's office has determined both of the following:
- The agency has a bona-fide statutory or administrative requirement for the use of the address which would otherwise be confidential under this chapter.
- The address will be used only for those statutory and administrative purposes and shall not be publically disseminated.
Private Businesses: California businesses can play an important role in preventing the exchange and sale of confidential address information. According to Section 6208.1(b)(1) of the Government Code, a Safe at Home participant may make a written demand of a person, business, or association to remove any display of their home address or telephone number from the internet.
- The California legislature has provided Safe at Home participants with a civil remedy for failure to comply with their demand. However, the Safe at Home program does not monitor or enforce compliance.
Information for Banks: A ruling (FIN-2009-R003) by the United States Department of Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network or FinCEN, issued on November 3, 2009, allows financial institutions to use an address designated by the Safe at Home Program instead of the confidential residential address of the participant.
Schools: Schools may have an administrative need to know a program participant's residential address to determine students' district zone, as well as for administrative and emergency purposes. While public schools must keep the program participants residential address confidential, it is further recommended that all schools use the Safe at Home Program participant's designated Safe at Home mailing address on any mailings and public documents.
Law Enforcement: California law requires all local and state government agencies to accept a Safe at Home Program participant's designated mailing address. Law enforcement agencies are not excluded from this rule. Law enforcement agencies are expected to comply with the same statutory obligations as any other state or local government agency.
Real Estate Transactions: The California legislature, in Government Code Section 6209.5(a), authorizes Safe at Home participants to request that their residential address be replaced on real property deeds, change of ownership forms and deeds of trust with their Safe at Home designated mailing address. The legislature requires California government agencies to comply with the participant's request per Government Code 6207(a)(1) unless certain governmental circumstances apply.

Accepting the designated Safe at Home mailing address?

The Safe at Home program participant will present his or her Safe at Home laminated Authorization ID card (or letter of participation) to you.
The Authorization ID card (or letter of participation) will contain the participants name on file with the program, his or her program identification number, the designated mailing address, and an expiration date.
Call the Safe at Home program, toll-free, at (877) 322-5227, to confirm the active status of a program participant.

disclaimer

While Safe at Home cannot provide legal services or advice in accordance with the aforementioned Government Codes, listed below are the links to professional legal services and state and county agencies where Safe at Home participants may seek professional legal advice.

California Bar Association (Includes addresses and telephone numbers of legal providers by county):
www.calbar.ca.gov/public/lawyerreferralserviceslrs.aspx
California County Bar Associations (Lists all available county bar associations):
www.barassociationdirectory.com/ca/

*The information found on this page was taken directly from the California Secretary of States Safe at Home program website and informational materials; all of which has been included here for your convenience. For more information or to visit the program website, please go to: https://www.sos.ca.gov/registries/safe-home or call them at the (877) number provided above.