Outreach - Taking It To The Streets

Our Safe Place program is how we reach out to teens and their families who may not know we’re here for them. Project Safe Place is a national program found in communities all across the United States. It partners local businesses and places like fire departments and police stations with the local youth shelter.

In Riverside County, there are over 250 Safe Place locations including all the fire stations, police stations and Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) and Sunline buses. Any child in crisis or who needs help can access our shelter by going into any location displaying the Safe Place sign. Safe Place allows Operation SafeHouse to have “virtual doors” throughout the community so that children can access our services no matter where they are.

But we don’t stop there. Each year, we make presentations to over 30,000 7th-12th grade students by visiting their classrooms and talking about the Safe Place program and where to go if they need help. We show them what the sign looks like and what to do if they ever find themselves facing a situation they don’t know how to deal with.

In the fall of 2009, we launched an innovative new program in the Coachella Valley called “Curbside Counseling.” It’s a form of “stealth” counseling where trained staff and volunteers drive an easily recognizable vehicle throughout the Valley meeting teens where they hang out instead of assuming they can find us. Short, informal counseling sessions are held with youth who just need someone to talk to. They’re receiving our services without really even knowing they are—in their minds, they’re just talking with someone who cares, and that’s true too.

Many street youth are fearful of authority and are hesitant to seek out services on their own. That’s why we decided to bring services to them. Of course, we hope they make the decision to leave the street and enter into one of our shelter programs where they can receive additional help. But at the very least, we want them to stay safe while they’re out there and we give them the tools they need and referrals if they want help.

But that’s not all. We’re actively involved in making presentations to the community about who we are and what we do. We attend health fairs and staff meetings and make presentations to service clubs like the local Rotary, Optimist and Lion’s Clubs. We’re busy making sure that the community knows about us and that families in crisis know where to turn when they need our help.

If you’d like to know more about our Outreach Programs, call:

Fonda McGensy at (951) 858-3701