When you come to Huckleberry House, you’ll need to contact a parent or guardian within 24 hours of getting here. While each situation is unique, you typically need a parent or guardian’s permission to stay. Our staff is good at convincing guardians to allow young people to stay here.  We explain how helpful we can be for you and your family.  No matter your situation, we encourage you to come in and talk to us, and we will do our best to get you permission to stay.

When you stay at the Crisis Shelter, you—and your family, whenever possible—will participate in counseling for 30 minutes to an hour each day. Our counselors really want to help figure out a solution to your unique situation.  And we believe that the best work is done when the whole family is involved.  Our counselors will try to involve your family as much as they are willing and able to participate.

Most teens stay with us for about four to seven days. However, we do partner with Franklin County Children Services to provide longer term family support respite care and emergency shelter care as needed.

You are allowed to have your cell phone or other devices while here, although you may not have wifi. We just ask that you do not take pictures of other youth while you are here. We also encourage you to keep your cell phone in our office, where it can be kept safe.

You won’t have your own room while at Huckleberry House. We have shared dorms and bathrooms, along with a few private rooms. Our dorms are monitored around the clock by our staff. We also have a single bathroom you can use if you prefer not to use a shared bathroom.

The Huckleberry House Crisis Program is not a detention center, a jail, or a scared straight program. We are a safe place to stay, and we have a lot of fun! This includes things like:

• watching movies
• playing board, card, and video games
• arts and crafts
• take walks to the nearby park
• visit pet stores

As we can, we even take mini "field trips" to places like the movies, zoo, and more! We aim to get you out of the house at least once a day.

You can also attend most extracurricular activities and go on outings with family members or family friends, if your guardian agrees. However, our staff may place limits on the number of outings you can take or the length of time you can be away.

It’s important to remember that the Crisis Program is voluntary. That means that you agree to stay here and work with us. We will never keep you here against your will.

It’s important to remember that the Crisis Program is voluntary. That means that you agree to stay here and work with us. We will never keep you here against your will.

With your guardian’s permission, you can attend school and go to work while you’re staying here. Sometimes we ask you to stay back from school on your first full day so a counselor can meet with you, but we will give you a school excuse. Typically, you will attend school or work using a COTA pass, if your guardian gives permission.  We will print out a COTA route and walk you through the steps of using COTA if you have never used it before.

Your guardian can also make transportation arrangements for you, such as with a family member or family friend.

Huckleberry House partners with Donato's, Columbus Fire Stations, and many Library systems throughout the Columbus area to help arrange safe transportation to get you here. We call these "Safe Place" sites!

To find a Safe Place site, text SAFE to 4HELP (44357) with your current location. Learn more about our Safe Place Program.