Licensed Safe Place Agency

The traditional Safe Place program consists of an emergency youth shelter or host home program that is licensed to operate the Safe Place outreach effort in their operating or service area. The agency has the capability of providing immediate, short-term, emergency overnight shelter for youth that cannot, or should not return to their own home. Support and counseling is provided to the youth seeking Safe Place assistance, and families are contacted and offered support as well. The agency lets the community know about their Safe Place program and services through outreach in schools and other community settings, education youth and adults about what the Safe Place sign means and how the program works. When a youth goes to a Safe Place site seeking help, the licensed agency is called and a Safe Place responder goes to the site to meet with the youth and connect them to the appropriate assistance. In some cases that is to facilitate the youth getting home safely, and in other cases it means that the youth is transported to the agency to receive services there.

Requirements
The following requirements are needed in order to become a licensed Safe Place agency:

• A commitment to implement a quality Safe Place program

• 24 hour availability of crisis intervention and/or counseling services 

• 24 hour availability of emergency overnight shelter/residential services if needed

• Agency outreach to youth and adults in the community

Note: In some communities where all of the required components do not exist within the scope of one agency, collaborations can be set up where more than one agency can partner to fulfill the requirements or shelter, counseling, outreach, and program coordination.

Steps to start the traditional Safe Place model in your community by becoming a licensed Safe Place agency:

• Determine if there is an existing Safe Place program in your community.
  

• Contact National Safe Place Network to discuss your interest in bringing Safe Place to your community, Letter of Intent (LOI) requirements, and implementation plan. 

• Assess the needs of your community in regard to runaway incidences, abuse and neglect allegations, existing outreach and education efforts, access to shelter services, and existing collaborations with businesses and community organizations.

• Provide community leaders with data substantiating the need for Safe Place, how it will benefit the community, and data regarding the utilization of Safe Place in other communities.

• Identify financial resources that might be needed to operate the program.

• Complete the application which includes uploading a LOI and program implementation plan.

• Once the implementation plan is approved, National Safe Place Network will forward a Safe Place License Agreement granting permission to establish the program and use the Safe Place logo.

• The agency implementing Safe Place will be required to participate in a comprehensive Safe Place implementation training session. This can be scheduled on-site at the convenience of the agency. 

Please contact [email protected] if you have questions or would like additional information.