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Ohio Secretary of State: Safe At Home program for victims of domestic violence needs strengthening

Safe At Home is a free program, but survivors need an advocate and documented reasons to access it.

CLEVELAND — For many survivors of crime, creating a safety plan is critical to helping them get their lives back. The Safe At Home program is just one tool that can be used for victims of domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, rape or sexual battery. It shields some public personal information, but not all.

"This is for anyone who needs to protect their home address from being disclosed because they're the victim of a crime or could be if you have a restraining order," Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said.

Leslie Swales works at the Summit and Medina County Battered Womens' Shelter and helps survivors make their plans.

"They know that this is going to take them off the Board of Elections website," Swales said.

It's a free program, but survivors need an advocate and documented reasons to access it. But both Swales and LaRose are concerned the program isn't being utilized as much as it should.

"We currently have thirteen hundred participants, I think tragically there could probably be many thousands more," LaRose said.

"A lot of people aren't aware that public records are as public as they certainly are and when we do have that ability to sit down with them and show them, that's kind of an eye opener for them," Swales said.

LaRose wants the program strengthened.

"We're working in the state legislature to try to get a bill that the Safe at Home program can also offer address confidentiality for a home purchase," LaRose said.

Swales thinks it needs to go further.

"Anybody can pull up from the county auditor, my tax information, my address, essentially a blueprint of where I live," Swales said.

For more information to access and advocate, or to become one, click here or call 877-SOS-OHIO.

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