CHARLOTTE, Mecklenburg County — There are nearly 700 businesses across Mecklenburg County that have signed on to be a safe place for kids to go if they are in trouble or in need of help.
“Safe Place” is part of a national initiative to help troubled youth.
Kids who feel like they don’t have a place to go can find these signs at churches, schools, fire stations and even public buses. These sites are designed to give kids a place to go and ask for help.
Trish Hobson is the Executive Director for “The Relatives,” the organization that runs the national "Safe Place" initiative in Mecklenburg County.
“Our philosophy is we are the relatives to these kids who often don’t have a safe place to stay,” said Hobson. “We are family, and just like any family, we love and care for the kids.”
Hobson said it's important for kids to know they can go to a place that is trusted.
“We serve any young person who may be a runaway, homeless, pushed out of their homes, or their families are really in deep conflict and they cannot be in the same place,” said Hobson. “A lot of times it means kids who are in an abusive situation at their home or in their relationship and they will come in and say… they can't go home or I'm scared to go home.”
When a child enters a safe place site, the staff there calls "The Relatives" hotline, which is open 24/7, for one of their responders to come pick up the child. Until then, the site employee provides the child comfort and safety.
Hobson says every business is vetted and goes through training.
One of their 690 partners is the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).
“You can find the yellow and black safe place signs on all of our facilities and all of our vehicles,” said Logan Lover with CATS. “If a youth sees that sign, they can come to an employee and say, hey, I need help. So it really helps extend the reach of the relatives.”
Kids are taken to a crisis center where they can sleep, get food clothing and counseling. Hobson said they also make contact with their parents. Stays over 48 hours do need consent from a guardian.
Some kids need a place to stay for weeks.
“Our biggest referral sources are Charlotte Mecklenburg schools and when they were closed and teachers and staff didn’t have eyeballs on the kids we were not getting as many calls…but it definitely ticked up this year," said Hobson.
The Relatives Crisis Center serves about 200 kids a year, some through the “Safe Place” initiative and some come from other resources.
“Once we get them to feel comfortable they are open, they are relaxed and it is easier to talk to them and figure out what is going on,” said Quentisha Daniels, the Center’s Lead Supervisor.
Calls can come in at any time of the day and someone is always on duty at the center.
“We have gotten calls from the police, and they have brought kids in the middle of the night,” said Daniels. “Or it can just be a neighbor who has heard of the relative's crisis center and they will call us and say we have someone who does not have a safe place.”
At the center kids are given a bed, they are fed, taken to school, get help with their homework and even participate in chores.
The center has also added mental health experts at each site to support the kids.
“Kids that we serve already experience so much trauma. Over 50% of them have cases of abuse or neglect within the home,” said Hobson.
Working with guardians, case workers and counselors, the center helps connect kids with the support they need.
“Our family conferences, it’s a sit-down. We assess with the child and parent so they can come up with different agreements for when they are home that they can use,” said Daniels.
Every safe place signage is an indication to children that there are people out there who care about their well-being and are ready to help.
It's about connecting kids with the immediate support and resources they need.
“Everyone but especially our youth deserve safety and shelter and to be able to put them in contact with resources that they would probably not otherwise have or even know about. That's really important that CATS can do that," Daniels said.
The center is always in need of clothing, hygiene products, sheets, towels, and toiletries. For the full list click here. If you have any questions or would like more information about how to donate, please contact Redia Baxter, Volunteer Engagement Officer, at 704.501.8258 or at rbaxter@therelatives.org.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.