About

About Safe Place

Safe Place is a national youth outreach program established in 1983.  Through a network of businesses and public sites, Safe Place gives youth access to immediate help and safety if they are at-risk, homeless or a runaway.

Collaboration between People’s City Mission, Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln Berean Church and Two Pillars Church was created to bring Safe Place to Lincoln. In July 2011, People’s City Mission was awarded a contract to be the lead local Safe Place agency in Lincoln from National Safe Place.

Young people can now enter Safe Place sites across Lincoln in order to get help and safety. Designated sites are Lincoln Fire and Rescue Stations, the Lincoln Journal Star, every Hy-Vee, Bay198, The Gameroom, Scooter’s Coffeehouses, and U-Stop locations, including the Whitehead Oil Company office building. These locations display the Safe Place sign.

When a young person arrives at one of these sites, trained staff will provide youth safety in their location, get a general idea of what is wrong and call People’s City Mission, the Safe Place agency, to pick up the troubled youth so that they can be brought to our shelter where they will be offered supportive services to meet their needs.

Why Youth Need Safe Place

Youth also run away from home for many reasons such as to escape abuse or neglect, drug or alcohol problems of family members, family members who make them leave or perhaps they feel they just don't belong. Many times leaving home is not a choice they want to make. According to National Runaway Switchboard, between 1.6 and 2.8 million youth run away in a year. And according to one statistic, one out of three runaways will be lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.

No matter what the reason, now youth in Lincoln have a safer alternative. They can go to any designated Safe Place site that displays the Safe Place sign to get immediate help. And once they are at People’s City Mission, the Safe Place agency, young people have a chance to think through their problems with the support of caring people who will offer supportive services to both them and their families.

The wonderful thing is that Safe Place not only benefits our youth but it also provides opportunities for the community to work together in order to keep youth safer. Way to go Lincoln!

For more information about National Safe Place go to http://www.nationalsafeplace.org.