http://kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/NewsCenter/NewsReleases/2011/August/nr083111_SafePlace.aspx
Youth in crisis can seek out a King County Metro bus for help
“Safe Place” program helps bus operators connect youth to local services
Tonight
in King County, more than 1,000 young people may find themselves
without a safe place to go. Some are abandoned, some are abused, and few
know where to get help. Within 48 hours on the streets, one in three
runaways will be approached by a predator.
But starting today,
help is just a bus away thanks to a new partnership between King County,
local service agencies, and “Safe Place,” a national non-profit
organization that builds community safety nets for young people in
crisis.
“Young people in crisis with no place to turn can now seek out a nearby
Metro bus and find an operator who is ready to help,” said
King County Executive Dow Constantine.
“Our coaches are out at all hours of the day in all parts of the
county, and this offer of a Safe Place should bring a little peace of
mind to families. I thank our operators for taking this extra step to
protect our region’s youth.”
“Preventing young people from
becoming homeless is a big step toward our efforts to solve homelessness
and to keep at-risk kids safe,” said
King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert,
who helped coordinate the partnership. “Safe Place expands the reach of
our existing youth services by connecting with our network of buses and
finding new ways to get help to youth in crisis. Any teen who is scared
and alone and confused should know at least one thing – the nearest
Metro bus is a safe place to get help.”
With the addition of Metro
and the local service agencies — YouthCare, Friends of Youth, and
Auburn Youth Resources — King County becomes the largest Safe Place
partner in the state of Washington and one of 1,529 communities
nationwide with a Safe Place program. The purpose of the program is to
have the necessary community resources in place to get help to young
people quickly, decreasing the potential for harm.
“We are
thrilled to bring this Safe Place program to King County and the Seattle
metropolitan area,” National Safe Place Executive Director Laurie
Jackson said. “As a community with a large number of homeless and street
youth, having Safe Place as an option presents a great opportunity to
connect these young people in need to available local resources.
Utilizing King County Metro buses as Safe Place sites make accessing
safety as close as the nearest bus.”
When a young person in crisis
needs help, all he or she has to do is approach any Metro bus driver
and say, “I need a safe place.” The operator will then make a call that
will trigger contact with a youth service provider, who will arrange to
meet and transport the youth to safety.
Sound Transit Express buses serving King County will also participate in the program.
What
happens next depends on the needs of the youth. Sometimes it’s
counseling and providing help to reunite the child with family or
friends. In the absence of alternatives, youth can be taken to a safe
shelter.
“Over the past two years, we’ve seen an alarming increase
in the number of youth seeking shelter and support from YouthCare,”
observed Melinda Giovengo, Executive Director of this non-profit which
provides services to homeless youth in Seattle. “Safe Place is no doubt a
program that will greatly benefit our community, as all of our children
deserve safety and support.”
“Metro is proud to be a partner in
this effort to make our county a safer place to be for young people,”
Metro Operations Manager Jim O’Rourke said. “Our operators are
accustomed to serving as the community’s eyes and ears. Through this
program, they can now additionally serve as a bridge in helping to get
kids off the street and into the hands of a youth resource agency that
can help.”
In addition to help from Metro drivers, young people in
King County have another option if they need help quickly. “Text 4
HELP” is a National Safe Place service being introduced that uses
technology to offer information about the closest location to access
immediate help and safety. By texting the word “SAFE” and their current
location to 69866, youth can get help within seconds. In our area, they
will be referred to shelters that will provide the assistance they
need.
On any given night, United Way estimates there are 700-1,000
young people with no safe place to sleep in Seattle alone. It’s
estimated that at least 300-500 children in King County under the age of
18 are sexually exploited each year. That’s a troubling statistic,
given estimates that one in three runaways will be lured into
prostitution within 48 hours.
Through the work of agencies such as
YouthCare, Auburn Youth Resources, and Friends of Youth, young people
can get the help they need. In 2010, more than 4,000 runaway and
homeless young people ages 12-24 accessed YouthCare services in Seattle
– from street outreach, emergency shelters, meals and drop-in services,
to education, employment training, and transitional housing.
The
new Safe Place partnership in King County welcomes other organizations
and businesses interested in providing additional safe places where
youth can get connected with services. Facilities frequented by young
people, such as libraries and malls and coffee shops, are good
candidates.
“More than anything, our children deserve to feel
safe,” said Councilmember Lambert. “Keeping just one child out of
trouble and out of harm’s way can make the difference for a lifetime of
success.”
To learn more about the Safe Place program, please visit:
www.nationalsafeplace.org and
www.youthcare.org
