TreeHouse Named Safe Place

LIBERTY, Mo., November 9, 2024- The TreeHouse has been named a Safe Place for the Liberty community.  From Safe Place’s website, “Safe Place is a national youth outreach and prevention program for young people under the age of 18 (up to 21 years of age in some communities) in need of immediate help and safety. As a collaborative community prevention initiative, Safe Place designates businesses and organizations as Safe Place locations, making help readily available to youth in communities across the country. Safe Place locations include: libraries, YMCAs, fire stations, public buses, various businesses, and social service facilities.”

Liberty Hospital Foundation believes that the TreeHouse is a hospitality house for all in need of shelter.  The purpose of the TreeHouse is to serve as a “home away from home” for all in need of assistance.  With guest rooms, a kitchen, private bathrooms, located on the Hospital’s campus, this Safe Place will be perhaps one of the best located Safe Places in the entire Liberty community.

Here’s how Safe Place works:

1. Step One – A young person enters a Safe Place and asks for help.
2. Step Two – The site employee finds a comfortable place for the youth to wait while they call the licensed Safe Place agency.
3. Step Three – Within 30 minutes, a qualified Safe Place volunteer or agency staff member will arrive to talk with the youth and, if necessary, provide transportation to the agency.
4. Step Four – Once at the agency, counselors meet with the youth and provide support. Agency staff makes sure the youth and their families receive the help and professional services they need.

Along with accessing Safe Place in person, youth may also TXT 4 HELP to receive information about the closest Safe Place location and chat with a professional for more help. TXT 4 HELP is a nationwide, 24-hour text-for-support service for youth in crisis.

When a young person uses TXT 4 HELP, they will text SAFE and their current location (address, city, state) to 4HELP (44357) for immediate help.

Within seconds, a message including the closest Safe Place location and contact number for the local youth shelter will be delivered. Youth will then have the option to reply with “2chat” to immediately text with a professional for more help.  TXT 4 HELP is *free, quick, easy, safe, and confidential. *Message/data rates apply. *If there is not a Safe Place in your community, TXT 4 HELP will connect you to the closest youth service organization.

Visit the TXT 4 Help page to learn more.

Who Operates Safe Place?

National Operations of Safe Place

The national operation of Safe Place is implemented by National Safe Place Network (NSPN). NSPN envisions a world where all youth are safe by ensuring an effective system of response for youth in crisis through public and private partnerships at a local, state, and national level.

NSPN is dedicated to keeping youth safe by working to expand the safety net for youth into communities nationwide. Once a community has committed to implement Safe Place, NSPN staff works with the program(s) for licensure, training, and ongoing support.

Program Level Operations of Safe Place

At the community level, Safe Place is operated primarily by youth serving agencies that provide counseling and shelter for children, teens, and young adults. These agencies work tirelessly to increase access to safety in local communities by providing outreach, educating through prevention, and building partnerships with public and private businesses/organizations as Safe Place sites.

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