South Carolina Ping 
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Posted on 03/20/2019 5:37:38 AM PDT by buckalfa
GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) - A nationwide call for more “safe places” for homeless teens in need of help may soon be answered in the Upstate.
Area QuikTrip stores are “TXT 4 HELP” locations that displaying signs with contact information that connects at risk teens or human trafficking victims to the organization National Safe Place Network.
That’s a national outreach and prevention program for youth in crisis that has more than 20,000 locations across the U.S. displaying yellow and black Safe Place signs, the universal symbol of help and safety for all young people.
They partner with youth-friendly businesses and community organizations, such as fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and fire stations connect youth in crisis with the local licensed Safe Place agency.
7News has learned officials at National Safe Place Network are in final talks to designate Pendleton Place, a shelter in downtown Greenville, as it’s first Upstate partner.
Once plans are finalized, Pendleton Place will be the local place QuikTrip can call and within 30 minutes a case worker will reach out to guide teens to the right resources.
Jed Dews, executive director at Pendleton Place, said he can see why “safe places” are needed and why they can be effective in reaching a segment of the homeless population that many times can be hard to reach.
“Suddenly you’ve got a response network that knows is this a law enforcement issue, is it a social service issue, and who locally can be there,” said Dews.
“I think youth go unnoticed a bit invisible in our community but they are absolutely there,” said Dews.
Dews said the need for more resources specific to teens in crisis in greenville is huge.
He said Pendleton Place has been busy with its many community partners in preparing their campus to be equipped and ready to handle teenagers that may come their way via National Safe Place Network and QT.
“Homeless youth are typically very scarred by trauma. It’s a common theme with runaway and homeless youth,” said Dews.
QuikTrip employees have been trained for years in the proper way to handle worst case scenarios like when a situation calls for law enforcement to be called or if someone simply needs a bite to eat.
At first, Greenville stores will be officially designated “safe places.”
Officials at National Safe Place Network are still searching for a Spartanburg area shelter partner.
Mike Thornbrugh, spokesperson for QuikTrip Corporation, said “we learned a long time ago we had a lot of kids coming in asking for assistance and we didn’t know what to do.”
National Safe Place Network officials couldn't give a specific date for having the partnership with Pendleton Place up and running.
According to Safe Place, it began as an outreach program of the YMCA Shelter House in Louisville, Kentucky in 1983.
Access to emergency counseling and shelter for youth was identified as a community need and the YMCA Shelter House found a way to address this issue with the creation of the Safe Place program.
Here’s how it works:
-A young person enters a Safe Place location and asks for help.
-The site employee finds a comfortable place for the youth to wait while they call the local Safe Place licensed agency.
-Within 30 minutes or less, a Safe Place representative will arrive to talk with the youth and, if necessary, provide transportation to the shelter for counseling, support, a place to stay and/or other resources.
-Once at the Safe Place agency, counselors meet with the youth and provide support. Family Agency staff makes sure the youth and their families receive the help and professional services they need.
Unfortunately the need exists given the breakdown of the family in our society.
So then, all you need to attract vulnerable youth is a copy of the sign?
And a QuikTrip franchise.
And the big honking gas station that goes under it.
Sometimes. Sometimes it is because the family won’t let them smoke weed in the house. Most of the runaways I have known were tired of following the house rules.
Unfortunately true.
what can possibly go wrong?
What could go wrong, sparking up around inflammable products?
Not to mention it's a nice place for "sliders to hone their techniques, using the chain's customers.
“what can possibly go wrong?”
Well, for one thing, the 5-Hour Energy Drink rack will magically become empty.
Jihadi free zone?
And crime at those locations will skyrocket.
The system will not work as planned and the teens will be sitting there waiting for hours for *help* to come.
It is, after all, government work.
Rob the QuickStop,
run outside,
run back inside,
ask for SafeSpace.
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The satanic left really knew what they were doing when they made breaking up the family a priority.
Convincing mom that raising a family is a shameful existence to be avoided at all costs was a real boon to the left. Having children is bad, but giving them time, love, and attention is even worse!
What we are seeing here are only some of the fruits.
Lesbians up the street have a blue light on the back of their house that they keep on all night. Looked it up and it means a temporary safe space. Nothing wrong with that except that in front of their house is a popular location for cops to pull people over from the main road, sometimes several times a night. Looks like it would confuse some ( who aren’t already ), like the light is there for police pullovers.
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