NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee continues to rank among the top 10 states for domestic violence-related homicides, prompting ongoing efforts to protect victims from further harm.
One such initiative is the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program, which has been making a difference across the state for the past six years.
Administered by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office, the program provides victims of domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, rape, and other sexual offenses with a substitute address — helping shield their real location from potential abusers.
“They register with us, we give them a substitute address, we collect their first-class and certified mail for them, and then every couple of days return their mail,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said.
The program is free and open to anyone who meets the eligibility and application requirements. Once enrolled, participants — and their children — can use the substitute address for all official state and local government purposes, including enrolling in public schools or applying for public benefits.
The only exceptions are in cases where disclosure is legally mandated.
“There’s a lot of publicly available information about all of us — whether it’s through the election commission or the utility company — and people can get your address,” Hargett said. “We give them away to get a substitute address to shield where they’re living.”
Since launching in 2019, the Safe at Home program has already enrolled over 1,400 Tennesseans.
But Hargett believes many more could benefit if they simply knew about it.
“The program has a lot more people that need to know about it, and I hope you’ll help get the message out.”
For more information or to find out if you are eligible to enroll in the Safe at Home program, visit the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at kelsey.gibbs@newschannel5.com.
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