Immediate help available for area youth

By Gorgon Shattles

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) would like to thank Jonathan’s Place for their service to the youth of North Texas during National Safe Place Week.

The Safe Place program, operated locally by Jonathan’s Place, partners with businesses and community organizations to provide immediate safety and support for local youth. DART began the collaboration with Safe Place in 2015 as part of its ongoing effort to address human trafficking. Local Safe Place locations include all DART trains and buses and Dallas County QuikTrips. As youth enter a designated Safe Place and ask for help, trained staff members connect them to the appropriate youth shelter for assistance.

The national Safe Place program consists of a network of more than 22,000 partnering businesses and community locations, such as fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, fire stations, public buses and libraries, which display the Safe Place sign in their windows. 

In addition to Safe Place sites, youth may also access immediate help via TXT 4 HELP, a text-for-support service for youth in crisis. Teens can text the word “safe” and their current location (address, city, state) to 4HELP (44357) to receive a message with the closest Safe Place location and the number for the local youth shelter. Users also have the option to text interactively with a counselor for more help.