KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Young adults in Kansas City are sharing their stories during National Safe Place Week.
National Safe Place is an initiative that has partnered with organizations like QuikTrip for over 30 years.
QuikTrip partners with 21 different Safe Place partner agencies across the country, including Synergy Services in Kansas City.
“As we try to expand our program, we find more and more need,” said Rick Chamness, the Safe Place coordinator at Synergy Services. “Last year, we helped 176 kids. That was up from 120 the year before that.”
In Kansas City, Synergy and reStart, Inc. collaborate to help youth ages 12 to 21 with multiple levels of crisis.
“That help can be anything from being locked out of your house, a party or a date gone wrong, and it can even be more serious like fleeing violence or an abusive home,” Chamness said.
Not only can Chamness attest to the need for youth services in Kansas City, but so can youth themselves.
One of the youth he works with goes by Teck. She was evicted back in November and immediately started looking for shelter.
“I was like, 'Dang, where do I go,’” Teck, 20, said. “So I came to QuikTrip and they basically got me a place and a shelter to stay in."
The answer to her problems was hidden in plain sight.
The yellow “Safe Place” signs at QuikTrip were what caught her eye the night she went. Half of the 200 Safe Place locations in town are QuikTrips.
But not every youth that ended up at Synergy went to QuikTrip. Alizah Hogan, 18, ended up at Synergy after getting kicked out of her home.
“I didn’t have no where else to go,” Hogan said. “So my last thing was Synergy, so I was there. I didn’t expect any of this at all.”
But with the unexpected bad, came unexpected good.
“I got the help I needed, I got a roof over my head, I got a bed, they gave food, and I was just able to feel safe there,” Hogan said.
Teck and Hogan agree it can be difficult to advocate for yourself as a young adult, but that it’s worth it.
“Everybody deserves to get help and not be outside or on their own, so I think I deserved it too,” Hogan said.
They’re encouraging youth in crisis to take that next step forward like they did.
“You’re the only one that can make change for yourself,” Teck said. “If you want something, you gotta go after it.”
For any youth needing immediate help, call 816-741-8700.
Click here to visit Synergy Services’ site to learn about their Safe Place services, and click here to learn more from QuikTrip’s site.
—
