HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – One in seven youth between the ages of 10 and 18 in Hawaii run away from home due to abuse, neglect and family conflict.
A new state program called Safe Places offers children support and a place of refuge when they have nowhere to turn and aims to prevent homelessness and exploitation. It is part of a national assistance and prevention program for youth in crisis situations and is being implemented with a project called Safe Spaces for Youth, which was passed by the state parliament in 2022.
Roxanne Costa of the Salvation Army and Connie Bell-Mullen of Hale Kipa joined HNN’s Sunrise to talk about the program and encourage local businesses and organizations to become Safe Place locations.
A Safe Place is a business, church or community center that displays the yellow Safe Place sign that any youth can go to if they need shelter or assistance. A staff member there will stay with them until a counselor from the Hawaii Department of Human Services Youth Services arrives there and meets them. A Safe Place staff member can also take the child to a shelter if needed. Locations that register as a Safe Place receive training.
“The Salvation Army is fortunate that we were a Safe Place site about 20 years ago because our executive director at the time wanted a safe place for youth to go when they were in need, so it was nice to see it resume in Hilo. Last year, all of Hawaii County’s Hele On buses also became Safe Places for our youth. Additionally, our emergency shelter in Hilo and the Salvation Army are Safe Place sites in Hilo,” Costa said.
If you are a teen who needs immediate help, look for the Safe Place sign on buildings and public transportation in your community. You can also text the word “SAFE” and the city/state or zip code to a nationwide, 24/7 service for teens in crisis: 4HELP (44357). Within seconds, they will receive a message with the nearest Safe Place location. Teens can also call 808-999-SAFE (7233).
Hale Kipa implements the Safe Place program on Oahu.
“We are currently in the early development phase of the program as we are in the process of recruiting sites that agree to participate by becoming a safe place and by having their staff go through a short training and display the program sign. The success of a safe place depends greatly on the aloha and community support of our youth,” said Bell-Mullen.
If your agency or business is interested in becoming a Safe Place site, contact The Salvation Army Family Intervention Services in Hilo or Hale Kipa on Oahu or call 808-999-SAFE (7233).
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