VIDEO: Finding A Safe Place

WEST POINT, Miss.(WCBI)—It can be hard imagining your own town as not being a safe place but for children and teens across the county it’s a reality they face everyday.

National Safe Place week shines a light on the businesses, organizations, and companies in the community who are extending the helping hand to the area.

Homeless or troubled teens in Columbus who feels they have nowhere else to turn, can find refuge at the nearest fire house.

“About 2 years ago we were approached by the Sally Kate Winters home about the possibility of them designating our stations here as a safe place for kids. We were told that if we had a situation of a run away teen or or children who are lost they would be able to see visible signs and know that they would be able to come into our fire station for assistance,”said Columbus Assistant Fire Chief Duane Hughes.

Since 1983 the Safe Place program has assisted more than three hundred thousand youth.  Hughes says that’s why the fire station jumped at the opportunity to continue the help.

We had representatives from the Sally Kate Winters Home come over and on all three shifts. We had training that instructed us as to what to do when any of these teens or children came into our station a formalized process of notifying officials to come over and intervene on their behalf,”said Hughes.

Heather Usry is the Outreach Coordinator for Sally Kate Winters and she says Safe Place locations must meet certain standards.

” A business like a fire department or a library or any place that has high visibility for the age group children any place close to a school or that’s already kind of has an understanding of being a safe place. That’s the kind of place that we are looking to educate the employees that are there,”said Usry.

Hughes says when the teens arrive, the station immediately contacts Sally Kate Winters to get the teens the help they need.

“We will be in constant communication with them on the telephone making sure that the child or the teen does not leave the station until they are able to be put in contact with those officials,”said Hughes.

Usry says all safe place are designated with official signs.

” Understand when they see a business or an agency with the signage there that is a safe place and that’s a place that’s associated with Sally Kate Winters and we want to create an understanding that Sally Kate Winters is synonymous with the safe place they they are the same and kids who need the services can reach out to businesses where they see that signage,”said Usry.

” Oh it’s a great feeling I tell you what. It wasn’t long after we became a designated as a safe place during the market street festival we had several children become separated from their parents. First thing they saw was the large Safe Place kids sign. They came in the station and we were able to successfully reunite them,”said Hughes.

The Safe Place Program has been in the Golden Triangle since 2009.