Troubled Youth Find Sanctuary At Tulsa 'Safe Place' Sites

Tulsa Safe Place volunteers want runaway kids to know there are now additional places they can go for help. March 17-23 is Safe Place week, and Youth Services announced the Tulsa City-County Library locations have joined the list of sanctuary sites for troubled teens.

"This program is an effort to prevent young people to become runaways or out on the streets alone," said Jim Walker, executive direction of Youth Services.

Volunteers assisted 221 young people in 2012, helping them to find safe shelter, counseling and other intervention assistance.

One in five youth - or 2.8 million nationally - will run away this year - most between the ages of 15 and 17. That's according to National Safe Place and National Runaway Switchboard statistics.

Why?

Most are running because of major family conflicts in the home, and about half say they were asked to leave by a parent or guardian, or the adults knew they were leaving and didn't care.

The outlook for homeless kids is grim. In the last year, almost half of those 2.8 million teens slept on the street. One in three are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.

Homeless teens are:

• 2 to 3 times more likely to be raped or assaulted
• 16 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV
• 18 times more likely to use crack
• 7 times more likely to die of AIDS

In the Tulsa area, there are now 216 Safe Place sites with the recent addition of the Tulsa City-County Library system locations.

Marked by large yellow and black "Safe Place" signs, locations also include QuikTrips, Fire Stations, Police Departments, EMSA ambulances and Tulsa Transit buses.

Wilson said that when children go to a Safe Place site and ask for help, a volunteer will meet them and assess their needs. Some go on to the youth shelter.

The long term goal is to reunite families, he said, as long as that can be done in a way that keeps the young person safe.

Learn More About Safe Place Including Becoming A Volunteer