Txt 4 Help: Teen Homelessness Is No LOL'ing Matter

This week, March 14th to March 20th, 2010, is National Safe Place week, which serves to raise awareness of the dangers of youth homelessness and has been supported by the U.S. Senate for the last 12 years. National Safe Place (NSP), headquartered in Louisville, KY, facilitates a national network that provides immediate resources, services, shelter and safety to teens in an effort to prevent street homelessness, shield teens in crisis from the dangers of living on the street, where they are 18 times more likely to use crack cocaine, 16 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV, and two to three times more likely to be raped or assaulted than other teens. Watch this short but compelling video to learn more about the harrowing statistics of teen homelessness.

NSP creates public-private partnerships with businesses and community agencies, like convenience stores, restaurants, libraries and fire houses, where teens can seek refuge should they experience family violence, neglect or any other crisis that would lead them to the street. There are more than 17,000 Safe Place locations around the country. Last year, more than 7,000 teens received face-to-face assistance in a Safe Place location and more than 6,000 contacted an NSP partner for help. Teens tend to learn about the program through their schools, communities or word of mouth. In the fall of 2009, NSP made it even easier for teens to connect to Safe Places through its "Txt 4 Help" program. So far, NSP has received more than 1,700 Txts 4 Help. It's heartening to think that thousands of our teens know they have a place to turn to for immediate help and have done so, but it's heartbreaking to know that so much help is needed.

To use the Txt 4 Help program, teens should text the word SAFE, along with their current location, to 69866. They will receive an immediate text response with contact information to the nearest Safe Place and/or shelter. Should neither be available in their area, they will receive the phone number to a national-hotline, like 1-800-RUNAWAY.

Along with the thousands of youth who have received help from NSP, there are thousands who haven't. Please consider starting Safe Places in your community and spread the word to teens in your community about the ones that already exist. Youth homelessness often takes a back seat in homeless policy, but by signing this petition you can tell your representatives that you care about our homeless youth and want to see an end to youth homelessness.

Photo credit: greaterfalls