DES MOINES – How can you aid a friend who is dealing with domestic violence or sexual assault? Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is providing resources to help answer those questions. Pate’s office is sending 2,500 booklets, entitled "Someone You Know Needs Help", to hair salons across the state this week. The mailing is done in an effort to increase awareness about Iowa’s Safe at Home program and other services available to survivors of violence.

"A lot of Iowans know someone who has experienced domestic violence or sexual assault. By providing these materials to hair salons, we can hopefully expand knowledge about Safe at Home and other programs that can help Iowans who are looking for a way out of an abusive situation," Secretary Pate said.

Statistics show 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Last year in Iowa, there were more than 3,000 convictions for domestic violence and sexual assault.

Resources in the "Someone You Know Needs Help" booklet include advice on what to say to a friend in need, things to avoid saying, contact information for victim service programs across the state and much more.

"Hair salons might be one of the few places victims are able to go without their abuser. Our hope is that providing support materials like this booklet will help more victims become survivors," Secretary Pate said.

Safe at Home offers survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, trafficking and stalking with a substitute address so their actual address is shielded from public records. The program, administered by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office, currently has more than 500 participants across 59 counties.

The "Someone You Know Needs Help" booklet is available for online viewing at this link . Requests for physical copies should be sent to SafeatHome@iowa.gov. To learn more about the Safe at Home program, visit SafeatHome.Iowa.gov.

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