This week is National Safe Place Week, a week that not many may know about, but is very important. Around a year ago, I was on my way to Louisville, KY to learn about Safe Place. I was recently informed that I was selected to be a Columbus Foundation Summer Fellow, and my placement was at Huckleberry House working on a project called Safe Place. I was absolutely thrilled and excited. Safe Place is a youth outreach program that helps those in crisis get to safety. I was able to learn from the National Safe Place office in Louisville about the ins and outs of the program. At Huckleberry House, I was able to use this information to reconnect our Safe Place program with the Columbus Fire Department, create a new operations manual, and coordinate logistics for the sustainability of the program.
My summer at Huckleberry House working on Safe Place was impactful. It is so important to provide a way for youth in crisis to get to Huckleberry House. Our city is continuously growing and youth homelessness is a real challenge for central Ohio. I learned at Huck House to put people and relationships first to help guide this program. Safe Place is truly about the youth, and the number one priority is to keep them safe. I am grateful for the opportunity to work on Safe Place last summer and to work with all the folks at Huck House. If the program helps even just one youth find their way to Huck House, it is worth it to keep our Columbus youth safe!
Written by Emily Long, Huck House 2019 Columbus Foundation Fellow
