In the early hours of the morning, 17-year-old Jeremy finds himself out of options.
His chaotic home life has led him to realize he can no longer stay with his family.
After a week of couch-hopping at friends’ homes, he is left to wander the streets of downtown State College, unsure about where to go or what to do. When he finally boards a CATA bus, the driver takes one look at him and asks if he needs help.
Jeremy says he does and the driver knows exactly what to do. The driver calls the Centre County Youth Service Bureau’s 24-hour runaway shelter at (814) 234-1200, which all CATA drivers are trained to do. Within 20 minutes, a shelter counselor meets Jeremy at a designated stop and transports him the Burrowes Street Youth Haven.
Upon meeting with Jeremy, steps are taken to make sure Jeremy is safe and that his parents are aware of his whereabouts. Next, Jeremy and his family are connected to community resources to help them address concerns and to determine their next steps.
Although this story is fictitious, some young people in our community face similar troubling issues at home, at school and in their everyday lives. These situations lead some kids to make unsafe choices like running away.
Fortunately, our community has “Project Safe Place.” Safe Place consists of a network of nearly 40 partnering businesses and community locations — fast food restaurants, hotels, public buses and libraries — that display the black and yellow Safe Place sign in their windows. If a youth enters the designated Safe Place and needs help, trained staff members connect them to the YSB’s 24-hour shelter for assistance.
Another feature of Safe Place is the “TXT 4 HELP” initiative — a 24/7 text-for-support service for youth in crisis. Teens can text the word “safe” and their current location (address/city/state) to 69866 and receive a message with the closest Safe Place location and the number for the local youth shelter. Users also have the option to text interactively with a mental health professional for more help.
For more information on Safe Place, search “Safe Place Training” on YouTube. Help YSB spread the word about this wonderful safety net by watching the video and talking to your family about the program.
Monday, March 16, through Sunday, March 22, will be National Safe Place week. Be on the lookout for a special community event sponsored by 40 participating businesses.
For more information about Safe Place, call YSB at (814) 237-5731.
The author, Dave Vactor, is the stewardship coordinator for the Centre County Youth Service Bureau.
