National Safe Place launches “Txt 4 Help” to get immediate help to youth in crisis
Release date: 10/16/2009
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Oct.16, 2009)—National Safe Place has launched the “Txt 4 Help” program, a 24-hour text-for-support service for youth in crisis. Youth in crisis can text the word SAFE and their current location to the number 69866 to receive an address and contact number for the nearest Safe Place site. In Palm Beach County, Children's Home Society of Florida has 136 Safe Place sites, including every Palm Beach Fire Rescue Station, all of which have a transportation component to its Safe Harbor shelter. In cities that don’t have a Safe Place program, youth will receive the name and number of a local youth shelter or, if there is no local shelter, a national hotline number. The text service became available nationwide yesterday.
The “Txt 4 Help” program allows National Safe Place to reach even more youth in crisis. Nearly 90 percent of teens have regular access to a mobile phone, and 66 percent of those say they prefer text-messaging to calling. “We strongly believe that by communicating to youth in a way they’re comfortable with, we will reach thousands more youth needing help,” says Linda Rutherford, chair of the National Safe Place board of directors. “We are hopeful this program will encourage teens to ask for help and discourage them from running away.”
Established in 1983, Safe Place provides easy access to help for young people in dangerous, threatening or vulnerable situations. More than 17,000 distinctive Safe Place signs appear in businesses throughout the country, and more than 240,000 U.S. youth have accessed help at a Safe Place site or contacted their local youth shelter. Children's Home Society of Florida’s Safe Place program in Palm Beach County helped 232 youth in crisis during fiscal year 2009. Since 1993, Palm Beach County’s Safe Place program has served 5,747 local youth in crisis.
About Children's Home Society of Florida
Created in 1902, Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS) is the oldest and largest statewide private not-for-profit provider of services to children and families in Florida. The organization serves children and families through a full spectrum of prevention and intervention programs. Services include foster care, adoption, child development, emergency shelters, residential group homes, independent and transitional living for teens, parent education, counseling, mentoring, treatment for developmentally disabled children, and more. CHS, which served more than 86,000 children and families throughout the state in 2007-2008, is headquartered in Winter Park, Fla., and offers services in more than 100 locations by more than 1,500 staff members dedicated to providing child-focused, family-centered care.
About National Safe Place
National Safe Place, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., provides training and technical assistance for youth service agencies and businesses interested in developing a Safe Place program. Safe Places provide access to immediate help and safety for all young people in crisis. A public-private network of more than 17,000 sites across the country extends the doors of local youth shelters by displaying the Safe Place sign. Business partners and community locations that appeal to youth – such as fast food restaurants, convenience stores, fire stations, public buses and libraries – connect kids looking for help with the youth service agency. In 2008, 8,042 youth received immediate help at a Safe Place site. Another 8,499 youth contacted a Safe Place site or shelter for help after learning about the program through school and community education. The Safe Place program was created by the YMCA of Greater Louisville in 1983. For additional information, visit www.nationalsafeplace.org.