Girls and Boys Town Long Beach Shelter An Important Resource for Runaways in Los Angeles CountyGirls and Boys Town There are a significant number of teenage runaways in the Long Beach and Los Angeles areas," says Keith E. Diederich, Executive Director at Girls and Boys Town of Southern California. "In fact, about 90 of the 300 youth we help each year at our Emergency Shelter in Long Beach are runaways." In an effort to decrease runaway experiences and create awareness in the Long Beach and Los Angeles area, Girls and Boys Town of Southern California is joining with National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) and National Network for Youth (NN4Y) to recognize November as National Runaway Prevention Month. According to NRS, an estimated 2.8 million youth living in the United States reported a runaway experience during the prior year.  "Too often, children and families don't know where to turn for help," says Diederich. According to the Los Angeles Youth Network, as many as 12,000 runaways live on the streets of Los Angeles on any given day. "Once on the street, children are more susceptible to being victimized or involved in violence or drugs. Prevention is key to helping our youth get back on the right road to lead successful adult lives," says Diederich. By shedding light on this issue, Girls and Boys Town of Southern California hopes to encourage people in the Los Angeles and Long Beach communities to think about ways they can help prevent children from running, not only during National Runaway Prevention Month in November, but all year long. Girls and Boys Town of Southern California's Long Beach shelter receives funding from a variety of sources, including private donors, federal, state and city government. The program is designated as an emergency runaway and homeless youth shelter. The shelter is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year by child-care professionals, and can care for up to 16 girls and boys ages 11 to 17. "We give them shelter and utilize a variety of teaching and relationship building strategies to help them work through their problems. We teach them how to make better choices and try to reunite them with their families whenever possible," says Diederich. "The Girls and Boys Town of Southern California's Long Beach Shelter is an important resource for runaway children in Los Angeles and Long Beach, but there are ways we can all help to prevent the runaway problem," says Diederich. Here are some signs parents, caregivers, relatives and friends can look for to determine if a child may be contemplating running away:
If you suspect a child may run, find a way to talk with the child. Ask for help from a professional counselor or call the Long Beach Shelter at (1-562-427-1155). On a national level, the Girls and Boys Town National Hotline (1-800-448-3000) is a confidential, toll-free crisis and resource referral service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help children and families. The Girls and Boys Town National Hotline also partners with National Runaway Switchboard who provides crisis services and extensive programs and resources to runaways. Call the NRS at 800-621-4000 to speak confidentially with someone who can help.
For more information, or to contact Girls and Boys Town, see their website at: www.girlsandboystown.org |
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