THANK YOU to our Safe Place community members who made on-call support possible for runaway and homeless young people
The best way to end youth homelessness is to intervene as soon as possible. Safe Place is a program that connects runaway and homeless youth ages 12-17 with critical emergency supports 24/7 anywhere in King County. Young people on the streets can access Safe Place support by calling our 24-hour hotline or connecting at any of the 2,100 Safe Place locations.
Safe Place site partners include Seattle Metro, local businesses, civic center, and nonprofit partners. Safe Place sites keep a yellow Safe Place sticker visible so youth know help is available. Our Safe Place response teams meet with youth where they are within 45 minutes of contact to assess their situation and help young people access shelter or reunite with caregivers. Learn more about Safe Place here!
“The compassion our Safe Place volunteers bring to their work is critical to helping young people feel safe and supported. These young people are experiencing trauma and having a caring adult to meet them on the phone, especially during this pandemic, is invaluable.” – Safe Place Coordinator
Volunteers play a critical role as members of the Safe Place response team. Our volunteer partners provide a positive, adult presence in compliment to the Safe Place Coordinator. We provide a specialized Safe Place training for volunteers so they have the tools they need to provide supportive connections, assist with logistics in connecting young people with care, and build trust and rapport with youth while a safety plan is being created.
Our Safe Place volunteers were at-the-ready, on standby to receive a phone call from Safe Place for 816 hours this year. This means they stayed near their phone and car, they remained sober and alert, and they didn’t travel so that they could be available in the case that they received a phone call. We are grateful for the dedication and commitment of our volunteers.
THANK YOU to our Safe Place Volunteer Team Members: Kylie, Anne Marie, Gabby, Hannah, Lynette, Kayla, Eduardo, Susan, Evelyne, and Olivier who partnered with Safe Place this past year!
Want to help?
Become a Volunteer on the Safe Place Response Team! Our volunteers provide support during specific in hours of the day to assist the Safe Place Coordinator in addressing the call for help from a young person. Join us at an upcoming Safe Place Orientation to learn more and become approved to be a Safe Place Response Team Volunteer! What is the first step? Sign Up for an Orientation!
Note: Volunteers must have a vehicle and a reliable way to receive phone calls. By attending the orientation, you are not automatically committing to volunteering, however, if you attend you will then have completed one of the mandatory steps to becoming a part of the Safe Place Respo
Become a Safe Place! Register to become an official “Safe Place” where youth can go and request help. Safe Place provides special training for site staff and a signature yellow Safe Place sticker, which signals to young people this is a place they can access help. If you know of a business or location that would be interested to learn more about becoming a Safe Place, please email communitypartners@youthcare.org
Host a Safe Place Awareness Campaign! Use your voice to spread knowledge and awareness about Safe Place, a resource that connects runaway and homeless youth ages 12-17 to help 24/7, anywhere in King County. Get creative and spread the word—launch your Safe Place Awareness Campaign today. Interested? Email volunteer@youthcare.org
For more information about volunteer opportunities, please reach us at volunteer@youthcare.org.