November 20, 2004 in HandleX

Project Safe Place receives Community grant

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Coeur d’Alene’s Project Safe Place, a program of Volunteers of America, was recently awarded a Community Collaboration Contract for $4,995. The grant was part of Gov. Dirk Kempthorne’s Generation of the Child Initiative.

Project Safe Place is a prevention and outreach program that provides immediate access to help and supportive resources to young people in crisis through a network of agencies, businesses and volunteers.

“Safe Place provides a way for youth to run to for help rather than run away from home,” says Beth Barclay, Safe Place program director.

Any business or public location displaying the diamond-shaped, yellow and black Safe Place sign is a designated Safe Place location. Fire stations 1 and 2, Kootenai Electric Cooperative, Zip’s at Sherman and Government Way, Skate Plaza, and the Silver Lake Mall are just a few of the Coeur d’Alene locations.

Barclay wrote the contract proposal and says projects receiving awards had to demonstrate how their project would be a collaboration between organizations, businesses, government and schools.

The money will be used for programs addressing teen mentoring, family violence, and an emergency shelter for youth in crisis.

“This contract will help us to continue the work we have already started,” Barclay says.

Project Safe Place’s contract was one of 36 Community Collaboration Contracts awarded in Idaho. This year the contracts totaled $168,215.

Last year 43 contracts were awarded for a total of $198,150, which helped more than 65,000 Idaho children.

Funds for the Community Collaboration Contracts are received by the state from the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Temporary Assistance for Needy Family and Children program. They are appropriated to the Generation of the Child Initiative by the Legislature.

“We are excited to be collaborating with the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and other law enforcement agencies since they routinely interface with at-risk youth and their families,” says Barclay. “They will be able to link these children to crisis intervention services and emergency shelters.”

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