Although Brown County is facing a significant funding cut in its Safe Place program, no such cuts are planned in Bartholomew County, organizers said.
Eleven sites in Brown County that include youth-friendly businesses, hotels, fire stations and libraries are marked with a yellow diamond that shows the Safe Place logo. The signs are a signal to let juveniles know they may stop at these locations if they need help.
Due to a federal funding cut, the “Safe Place” program that ensures those Brown County locations remain safe for kids needs to raise $100,000 by June to keep it operating at the level it is now.
A $53,000 cut that went into effect in October has already forced Youth Connections, a group that runs the “Safe Place” program in Brown, Morgan and Johnson counties, to reorganize with one fewer employee.
The funding cut is primarily due to a shift in how the federal government defines homeless youth, said Judith Olds, the executive director of Youth Connections. Children sleeping in vehicles or on couches at a friend’s home are no longer considered homeless, Olds said.
No funding cuts have been handed down to the Bartholomew County’s Safe Place program, said Andy Young, Foundation For Youth (FFY) director of youth development.
Currently, the Foundation for Youth in Columbus receives a base amount of $6,000 annually to fund the Safe Place program from the Indiana Youth Services Association. Young said the organization receives an additional $7,000 a year for performing educational presentations on human trafficking, he said.
These funds received are crucial in promoting the program, so that they reach the children who need help, Olds said.
“Kids are not really likely to contact a program like ours unless they know about it,” Olds said.
But there are differences between the Safe Place programs counties in Brown and Bartholomew counties, Young said.
One is that Youth Connections in Johnson County is the sole program provider in not just one — but three counties: Brown, Johnson and Morgan.
In contrast, the local program here is only for Bartholomew County, he said. Many local organizations — Foundation for Youth, Family Service, Inc., Bartholomew County Youth Services, the Columbus Fire Department and the Columbus Police Department — share responsibilities on a 24-hour basis, Young said.
Population is also a factor affecting funding, Young said. Morgan and Johnson counties extend into the Indianapolis metropolitan area, where many adults and kids have been aware of the Safe House program for more than 35 years, Young said. As a result, there are about 30 calls annually from Indianapolis-area children handled by Youth Connections in Johnson County, he said.
In contrast, there have been no more than five requests for help to Safe Place in Columbus since the program began in 2015 — and only one of those calls involved an overnight stay, Young said.
“I mean, the stories we’ve heard from the kids who were calling were pretty dramatic, but it’s not that many,” Young said.
Bartholomew County Youth Services director Anita Biehle worries the low number of requests for help might just reflect a lack of awareness.
Based upon local numbers regarding abuse and neglect, as well as the number of children in need of court services, Biehle said at least a dozen children should be using the Safe Place resources in Bartholomew County annually.
It’s more likely many local residents are unaware of the meaning of the yellow diamond signs marked “Safe Place” on local buildings, Biehle said.
When a child enters a Safe Place, a trained employee contacts Youth Services. The child’s situation is evaluated by one of Youth Services’ four intake officers, who will begin determining what services are needed, as well as a safety plan for the child, Biehle said.
Firefighters or police officers will ensure the young person is taken to where he or she will get the help they need, Young said.
That might mean a mental health or medical specialist, if the young person is dealing with substance abuse or dangerous levels of depression. Or it might just be counseling through Family Service or temporary shelter from Youth Services, Young said.
“In a number of cases, they might just need a cooling-off period between parent and child,” Biehle said.
But with the low numbers, both Biehle and Young say plans are being developed to increase community awareness about the Safe Place program in Bartholomew County.
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To learn more about Safe Place
- Foundation For Youth, 450 Hope Ave., Columbus; 812-372-7867.
- Family Service, Inc.: 131 13th St., Suite 2540, Columbus; 812-372-3745.
- Bartholomew County Youth Services: 2350 Illinois Ave., Columbus; 812-379-1768.
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