Our Safe Place program is how we reach out to teens and their families who may not know we’re here for them. Project Safe Place is a national program found in communities all across the United States. It partners local businesses and places like fire departments and police stations with the local youth shelter.

In the Coachella Valley, there are 121 Safe Place locations including participating McDonalds, Boys & Girls Clubs, Fire stations, Libraries, Police stations and Sunline buses. Any child in crisis or who needs help can access our shelter by going into any location displaying the Safe Place sign. Safe Place allows SafeHouse to have “virtual doors” throughout the community so that children can access our services no matter where they are.

Each year, we make presentations to over 30,000 7th-12th grade students by visiting their classrooms and talking about the Safe Place program and where to go if they need help. We show them what the sign looks like and what to do if they ever find themselves facing a situation they don’t know how to deal with.

We’re actively involved in making presentations to the community about who we are and what we do. We attend health fairs and staff meetings and make presentations to service clubs like the local Rotary, Optimist and Lion’s Clubs. We’re busy making sure that the community knows about us and that families in crisis know where to turn when they need our help.

If you would like to know more about our program, please contact AJ Vasquez at avasquez@operationsafehouse.org