YouthCare is thrilled to announce that Compass Housing Alliance (CHA) is joining our National Safe Place team! Locations in Shoreline and Renton will soon open their doors as “Safe Places,” where teens in crisis can ask for help and wait in safety for that help to arrive. Within 45 minutes of receiving a call, a youth counselor will meet the young person to determine the next steps, whether that is finding shelter, seeking emergency services, or returning home.  

Compass Housing Alliance will be the first stationary Safe Place site in King County. Currently, young people may get on any King County Metro bus or Sound Transit vehicle and ask the driver for help. Within 45 minutes, a youth counselor will meet that young person to discuss their options and transport them to safety. The new sites will offer even greater flexibility to young people in need of help, as they are both open 24 hours.

“Compass Housing Alliance is proud to partner with Youthcare to assist our community’s young people find the help they need in order to find the safety they deserve,” says Tracy Jones, a Program Manager at CHA.

Likewise, Youthcare is excited to expand the number of Safe Place partners. Safe Place came to King County in August 2011, as a partnership between King County Metro and YouthCare. We collaborate with three other service providers, Auburn Youth Resources, Friends of Youth, and Cocoon House, to ensure that youth from throughout the region can access shelter quickly at any time of the day or night. 

March 19-24 is also National Safe Place week, which serves to increase awareness about the importance of youth safety and the dangers young people face when they feel they have nowhere to go or are in crisis situations.YouthCare has planned a number of activites and events commemorating the week.