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‘We never turn youth away’: Juneau launches Safe Place program to connect children in crisis to community resources
- Jasz Garrett
- Jun 12
- 5 min read
Participating organizations gather for backyard launch party at Zach Gordon Youth Center
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
Juneau has a new community initiative aimed at better serving youth in crisis.
Safe Place, a national outreach and prevention program, connects youth ages 10 to 17 in need of immediate help to the city-run Shéiyi Xaat Hít Shelter (Spruce Root House).
“It will be a great way to raise awareness,” said Jorden Nigro, manager of Shéiyi Xaat Hít Shelter and Zach Gordon Youth Center, one of 12 locations where youth in crisis can seek help.
On Friday, the youth center celebrated the launch of the program, with its Safe Place sign in the window welcoming guests. One of the ways a Safe Place can be spotted is if a building displays a black-and-yellow sign.
“We have tables set up outside so kids can go around and see what places are available and start to build that connection,” said Hannah Jenkins, the shelter’s outreach coordinator. “There’s games and food and music.”
Kids attending Friday's launch party said McDonald’s gift cards and stuffed animals were their favorite prizes.
Other participating locations include the Tlingit and Haida Wayfinders program at Floyd Dryden, all three staffed fire stations, the Southeast Alaska Food Bank, the Juneau Police Department headquarters, JAMHI Family, Glacier Cinemas movie theater, Kindred Post and both city pools.
A list of current safe places can be found on the shelter’s website or by sending a text and the word “safe” to 44357. The text should include a full address of wherever the youth in need is at that moment.
“The great thing is you can get the location of the nearest Safe Place, but you can also text to chat and text one-on-one with a trained mental health counselor,” Jenkins said. “It’s kind of like 988. It’s a 24/7 texting crisis number.”
She said she first discovered the program during a Runaway and Homeless Youth annual training two years ago. Attendance is required for the shelter to receive a federal grant.
Recruiting and training for Juneau's Safe Start began in late April.
“We had to train organizations before we put the word out so they know what to do if a kid comes in,” Jenkins said, who is also the shelter’s Safe Place coordinator. “It’s a 15 to 20 minute training, I show a presentation, go over what Safe Place is, what the shelter is, what we provide and the steps to follow.”
She noted employees at participating Safe Place locations are not trained in crisis management, but the goal is for the shelter staff to be “responding to kids where they are.”
Once a youth enters a designated Safe Place business and asks for help, the employee shows them to a supervised waiting area and calls the Shéiyi Xaat Hít Youth Shelter.
A trained shelter staff member is expected to respond within 30 minutes to provide direct crisis management and determine what resources are necessary to meet the needs. Shelter staff can provide transportation to the shelter or back home, depending on the situation.
“The nice thing about Safe Place is it’s so flexible it can be adapted to different organizations and great for Juneau since it’s so spread out,” Jenkins said.
Shéiyi Xaat Hít Shelter, located at 9290 Hurlock Ave., is Juneau’s only 24/7 emergency youth shelter. It’s also the community’s only dedicated youth shelter.
Shelter staff work with families to provide necessary services like counseling, housing assistance and family mediation for youth who have run away from home, are homeless, or are at risk of either. The Zach Gordon Youth Center and Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority partnered to open Shéiyi X̱aat Hit in 2021.
“The shelter is still pretty new and isolated, it’s hard for kids to get to us or hear about us,” Jenkins said. “We know there’s definitely a need.”
The shelter served a record number of youth last year — between 60 to 70 — according to Jenkins. She said in previous years, the range was 45 to 50. She said summer is the most vulnerable time for many kids who rely on support and food from school.
“It’s when a lot of our kids kind of slip through the cracks,” she said. “This is an especially important time to get this out to the community.”
At Shéiyi Xaat Hít Shelter, all youth have their own bedroom, with six beds total.
“This year we had many more instances where we had seven or eight youth staying overnight. We can apply for a variance from the state for a license if we are going to go over six beds,” Jenkins said. “But we never turn youth away.”
Some Safe Place organization representatives present at Friday’s launch party said the program is a start to addressing a larger mental health crisis in the community.
“There are few resources for juveniles and the shelter is a big resource,” said JPD Cmdr. Jeremy Weske.
This year, JPD has made frequent social media posts about runaways. In 2024, Bartlett Regional Hospital closed its Aurora Behavioral Health Center due to a lack of funding and staff, with Weske also noting the previous closure of Juneau Youth Services.
“There’s never enough services in Juneau for kids it seems like without waitlists, timeframes,” said Rachel Gearhart, chief integration officer for JAHMI Family. “But we are definitely open for folks to see them and assess them. If we don’t need to help them, we at least want to assess them so they can help refer them somewhere else.”
JAHMI serves youth at 2075 Jordan Ave. Its services include primary care, groups, therapy, case managers and individual and family work. Gearhart said if needed, substance abuse treatment can also be offered.
For those interested in becoming a Safe Place site or partnering with the shelter in other ways, reach out to hannah.jenkins@juneau.gov or call Shéiyi Xaat Hít at 907-364-7481.
The shelter also has a current needs list:
New reusable water bottles
Headphones (earbuds or Bluetooth)
New hairbrushes
Sweatpants/joggers (child sizes large and up; adult sizes XS-6XL)
Plain sweatshirts (adult S-2XL)
Gloves, hats, warm socks, handwarmers
New bras (all sizes/styles with preference for cotton, no-wire, or sports bras)
New underwear (men’s and women’s)
Deodorant (both men’s/women’s brands)
Shampoo and conditioner (large bottles)
Fred Meyer and/or Costco gift cards
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
