STATE COLLEGE — Safe Place is an arm of the Youth Service Bureau where partnerships are formed with local businesses to help keep kids safe. The ultimate goal of Safe Place is to make sure kids who need emergency shelter can get to it. YSB is home to a youth shelter, The Burrowes Street Youth Haven, where kids ages 12 to 17 can stay for up to 21 days while they sort out family problems or find a safe, long-term living option.
Safe Place is a national program that began in Louisville, Ky., in 1983. Since then, the program has grown to 40 states. In Pennsylvania, there are Safe Place programs in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Center County. Here, the YSB has 40 active safe place sites. Some, such as Centre Area Transportaiton Authority, have multiple locations. CATA counts as one site, but every single bus is a Safe Place location.
Safe Place businesses can be identified with black and yellow signs featuring the Safe Place logo. At every Safe Place location, employees are trained to assist youth by providing them with a comfortable place to wait and meet with YSB shelter staff. When a teen asks for help at a Safe Place site, employees who have been trained by YSB contact the YSB shelter hotline. Shelter staff then go to that location to meet with the young person and determine whether or not shelter is necessary.
If a youth wants shelter, he or she will be transported to it. Sometimes, shelter is not needed and staff can help the young person return home safely and/or get in touch with other resources. Whatever the reason for the initial call, staff responding look for the best way to help.
Kids are taught about Safe Place in schools, at youth centers and in other ways. A list of current Safe Place sites here in Centre County can be found on the YSB website, www.ccysb.com. Teens can access help by simply walking into a Safe Place location and saying they need help. If kids don’t know where the nearest Safe Place is, they can text the word “safe” to 69866 and enter their location. They will then receive the location and directions to the nearest Safe Place site. Youth can also call the YSB hotline at (814) 234-2100.
For more information, contact YSB at (814) 237-5731.
