Safe Place
How do I get help? How does a Safe Place work?
When a youth sees the distinctive yellow diamond sign with black lettering and walks in to ask for help, staff at the Safe Place site are trained to connect each youth in need with Bridge for further support.
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Enter a Safe Place location and ask for help
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The site employee will help you settle in to wait while they call the local Safe Place licensed agency, which is Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
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Within 20-30 minutes, or less, a Bridge Over Troubled Waters counselor will arrive to talk with you, and if necessary, provide transportation to Bridge for counseling, support, a place to stay, or other resources.
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Once at Bridge, you will meet with our Adolescent Runaway Counselor for additional support.
To find the nearest Safe Place:
Visit https://www.nationalsafeplace.org/find-a-safe-place and plug in your zipcode or address.
Where can I go?
To find the nearest Safe Place, visit https://www.nationalsafeplace.org/find-a-safe-place and plug in your zipcode or address.
Listed below are all of our Safe Place Sites (in alphabetic order), also shown on the map above for visualization purposes.
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What if I can’t leave? Try TXT 4 HELP
TXT 4 HELP counselors can provide support via text, and can offer additional suggestions for immediate help regardless of where you are. This works anywhere in the US. TXT 4 HELP can be used for the same reason you may go to a Safe Place site – abuse, bullying, family problems, depression, suicidal thoughts, and others.
Here’s how it works:
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Text the word “safe” and your current location (address, city, state) to 4HELP (44357).
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Within seconds, you will receive a message with the closest Safe Place site and phone number for the local youth agency.
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For immediate help, reply with “2chat” to text interactively with a trained counselor.
It’s quick, easy, safe, and confidential. TXT 4 HELP is a free service offered to all youth in crisis.
*Messaging/data rates apply.
* If there is not a Safe Place in your community, you will receive information on the closest youth service organization.
What is Safe Place?
THERE ARE 42 SAFE PLACE SITES YOU CAN GO TO IF YOU NEED HELP.
Trained Safe Place sites connect youth in crisis with the local licensed Safe Place Agency – Bridge Over Troubled Waters. The network of Safe Place sites is an extension of Bridge’s outreach to homeless and runaway youth. Each Safe Place is an access point to Bridge’s programs and services.
Bridge joined the National Safe Place Network in July 2016
Bridge became a lead agency to create a network. Today, we have expanded our Safe Place network to host 42 sites. No matter where in Eastern Massachusetts, Bridge is ready to provide safety for underage youth.
Our network of Safe Place Sites
There are currently 42 sites youth can go to when they need supportive services or are dealing with a crisis. Bridge Over Troubled Waters is one site, at 47 West Street, Boston, MA, along with Bridge’s Mobile Medical Van when it is on Boston Common or in Harvard Square. Additional sites include several Boston Public Libraries and Boston Public School Welcome Centers, More Than Words – Boston, and More Than Words – Waltham. To find the nearest Safe Place, visit https://www.nationalsafeplace.org/find-a-safe-place and plug in your zipcode or address.
