What is Safe Place?
Safe Place is a national youth outreach program that educates thousands of young people every year about the dangers of running away or trying to resolve difficult, threatening situations on their own, as well as providing temporary housing and emergency services for youth in these situations. This easily replicated community initiative involves the whole community to provide safe havens and resources for youth in crisis.

Safe Place creates a network of "Safe Place locations" - youth friendly businesses, schools, fire stations, libraries, YMCAs and other appropriate public buildings that display the distinctive yellow and black Safe Place sign. In many communities the local transit system takes part, designating buses as mobile Safe Place sites. Once the youth goes to one of the Safe Place sites partnered with Rainbow House in Fayette, Fulton, Henry, DeKalb and Clayton County, the staff there is instructed to telephone the shelter in order for the child to come here. Once at the agency, counselors meet with the youth and provide support, resources and help. They make sure the youth and their families receive the help and professional referrals they need. The youth serving agency helps the youth and the family through a difficult time or crisis situation through counseling and support services.

Why Kids Need Safe Place
Kids experience many difficult situations to include problems at home, problems at school, trouble with peers, being locked out of the house, riding with an unsafe driver, or being in a dangerous situation on a date.

Kids also leave 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 maybe they feel they just don't belong. Many times leaving home is not a choice they want to make. Yet national agencies estimate that over one million young people run away from home each year.

No matter what the reason, kids do have a safer alternative. They can go to any designated Safe Place site to get immediate help. These young people deserve access to a Safe Place and a chance to think through their problems with the support of caring adults. 

The Rainbow House's Safe Place Programprovides immediate help and supportive resources for all young people in crisis through a network of sites sustained by qualified agencies, trained volunteers and businesses, as well as the new incentive from National Safe Place which is Text 4 Help where teens text the word SAFE and their current location to 69866 for immediate help and within seconds will receive a text message with the closest Safe Place location, youth shelter or hotline number.

Rainbow House, Inc. implements and helps to accomplish the program's mission through acting as the host site for Clayton County, specifically as the liaison for all local QuikTrip service stations, local and city Fire Departments and the Clayton County Public School System.*

For more information on our Safe Place program, please contact coordinator Kristi Ali at (770) 603-5268, and if in need of a Safe Place please contact the Rainbow House, Inc. at (770) 478-6905.

(*Safe Place description and program information was copied from the National Safe Place Website: www.nationalsafeplace.org)

Other Useful Links:

National Safe Place Organization

Safe Place Frequently Asked Questions

Teen Topics: Running Away

Teen Topics: Sexual Orientation

Teen Topics: Drugs & Alcohol