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What they're saying about Safe at Home
Paul D. Pate
Secretary of State
State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319
Iowa Secretary of State Seal WEBSITE: sos.iowa.gov
E-MAIL: sos@sos.iowa.gov
OFFICE OF THE IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kevin Hall
Communications Director
Kevin.Hall@sos.iowa.gov
(515) 725-2942
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 14, 2015

What they're saying about Safe at Home


The law would add "one more tool in our tool box." She said Family Resources has allowed victims to use its office address to keep their true address hidden from abusers. The Safe at Home program is a "much more efficient system with many more intricacies that we just don't have." – Nicole Cisne Durbin, Director of SafePath Survivor Resource, Davenport, 4/10/15, Quad-City Times

Sen. Rita Hart, D-Wheatland, praised the work that's been done on the bill. - Davenport, 4/10/15, Quad-City Times

"From my perspective, from my arena of business, I think it's really important legislation that we pass because they'll be actually voting for legislators that will improve their lives or not improve their lives and to take the opportunity away from them is really not fair." – Scott County Auditor Roxanne Moritz, Davenport, 4/10/15, Quad–City Times

"It's actually going to help them become a little more anonymous so they can access the resources they need while staying safer than they were before." - Kristy Knapp, victim advocate, Newton, 4/8/15, Newton Daily News

"Anything we can be a part of to support empowering these victims, we're all for it as a department. Certainly [this bill] is a very positive idea." – Iowa City Police Sgt. Scott Gaarde, 3/31/15, KCRG-TV

Kristie Fortmann-Doser, executive director of the Domestic Violence Intervention Program in Iowa City, said via email Tuesday that she supports the passage of the bill. – 3/31/15, KCRG-TV

Representative Fisher said the bill was inspired by the story of a young mother who was the victim of domestic abuse. "She was suffering the threats from her ex-husband over a bitter custody battle. She ultimately left Iowa for a state that already had a ‘Safe at Home' problem. It bothered me greatly that (she) did not feel safe at home here in Iowa and felt the need to move to another state to achieve that safety." – Iowa House Rep. Dean Fisher, Des Moines, 3/26/15, Radio Iowa

"This bill will be a step forward in our work to assist the victims of domestic and sexual violence." – Iowa House Rep. Dean Fisher, Des Moines, 3/26/15, Radio Iowa

He agrees the legislation is "an excellent opportunity. I think this [program] will allow people to feel safer." - Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper, Marshalltown, 3/4/15, Marshalltown Times Republican

ACCESS staffers agreed and said they believe this legislation is a good first step is helping to protect more people from their assailants or other predators. "We see it as an asset," said Shreck, ACCESS executive director. "It definitely has merit," Koch added. – ACCESS (Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support) Executive Director Angie Schreck and staffer Lynn Koch, Marshalltown, 3/4/15, Marshalltown Times Republican

"I saw the fear in this woman's face. Eventually, she decided she had to move to another state.[Victims] shouldn't have to feel they have to move." - Iowa House Rep. Dean Fisher, Marshalltown, 3/4/15, Marshalltown Times Republican

"This will help. It essentially proposes another tool that we know victims can use when they are, in our case, trying to relocate, trying to get off the radar of their abuser. One thing that isn't always understood is that abusers and stalkers are very keen at figuring out what their victim is up to. They enlist the friends and the family, they look at that person's activities online, they may follow them to work and so the person try to break free from that abuser needs any resources possible. In this case, having a confidential address that that perpetrator cannot seek them at would be very helpful in some of our cases, not all but in enough to make it worthwhile." - Angie Schreck, executive director of ACCESS, Marshalltown, 3/3/15, YouTube video

"Too often, the offenders are looking for these folks, they're chasing after these folks, especially in domestic violence cases. They just will not let go. It is very difficult for the victim to find a safe place just to be because their address many times is publicized through court records. I think that this legislation will give victims the opportunity to have that safe home and be able to get a fresh start and get away from their offender." - Chief Mike Tupper, Marshalltown Police Department, 3/3/15, YouTube video

"I would say that any step that helps increase the safety of victims and survivors is a good thing. This is a thoughtful piece of legislation." – Cathy Van Maanen, Plymouth County outreach coordinator for the Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, 2/22/15, Le Mars Daily Sentinel

"Every year we get questions from victims who ask if they can enroll in these programs and sometimes they have come here from out of state and had a program like this in their state." Hessburg said she is encouraged by the bipartisan support. "Iowa is leading the nation in trying to respond to this very serious issue. – Laura Hessberg, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Des Moines, 2/5/15, WOI-TV

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