National Safe Place "Txt 4 Help" program is set up to make it easier for teens to get help. Youths labeled as runaways, homeless, abused or referred to as "throwaway" may text the word SAFE and their current location to the number 69866 and they will receive an address and contact number for the nearest Safe Place site.
The text service will be available nationwide on Thursday.
Felecia Walthall, Central Texas Youth Services Safe Place/Street Outreach coordinator, will likely be responding to most of the calls made in the local area.
"I'm on the streets constantly, so I'm out driving and I can get to the youth faster than someone who might be in an office," Walthall said.
It is expected that through Txt 4 Help the Safe Place program will reach even more youths in crisis. Nearly 90 percent of teens have regular access to a mobile phone and 66 percent of those say they prefer text messaging to calling.
"We strongly believe that by communicating to youths in a way they are comfortable with, we will reach thousands more youths needing help than we have in the past," said Linda Rutherford, chair of the National Safe Place board of directors.
The number of youths served at Safe Place sites or other locations run by Central Texas Youth Services varies, Walthall said. In August, 117 youths received assistance, which might include a hygiene kit, survival pack or telephone counseling. Fifteen of those received shelter, transitional living accommodations or were provided resources for job training.
"There was one month where 248 youths were served and 26 of those received shelter or other resources," Walthall said.
Youths in crisis don't fit a set pattern and the problem knows no socioeconomic boundaries. These children come from all walks of life and wealth doesn't guarantee a problem-free family, she said
The Killeen school district has reported that more than 700 of its students are categorized as homeless, she said.
Many of the children don't have parents who can provide adequate care.
"A lot of them have parents who are strung out across the sofa for days, or leave and don't come back for days or weeks," Walthall said.
"A lot of those youths I'm trying to reach, because there are services that can help them, become independent," Walthall said.
Some of the youths are labeled throwaways, because the parents insist they can no longer afford to care for their children.
Walthall said she is concerned that 70 percent of children who are on the streets in Central Texas have encountered a trafficking situation, which could include sex, drugs or working off debt.
"Those are dangerous situations for our children," she said.
There are more than 350 Safe Place sites in the Temple, Belton and Killeen area, including mobile sites such as ambulances, fire trucks, city and county trucks.
Any kind of business, especially those in an unusual location or open long hours, are needed as a Safe Place, Walthall said.
Safe Place was established in 1983 to provide easy access to young people in dangerous, threatening or vulnerable situations. Since then, more than 240,000 youths have accessed help at a Safe Place site or contacted the local youth shelter.
For information, or to volunteer to become a Safe Place, call Walthall at 254-271-1967.
