Schools and communities around the nation are increasing awareness around subjects such as: running away, bullying, anxiety, drugs, homeless youth, and sexual assault.
While school districts and households can implement their own strategies for addressing these issues, there remains a period of time during each day where our youth are in between home and school. More attention is being paid to ensuring there are resources at their disposal should an incident occur during this time. Cities around the nation are adopting and marketing Safe Spot/Place programs to offer local residents a place of refuge during times of distress.
Through a partnership between local government, public safety agencies, school districts, and local businesses, communities are working to ensure residents have a place to go when they are alone and in need of support.
The Trumansburg Safe Spot program (TSS) is an initiative of the Village of Trumansburg, in cooperation with the Trumansburg Central School District and the Trumansburg Area Chamber of Commerce, which aims to offer designated locations throughout the Village to residents who are in distress or feel unsafe in their current surroundings. While these programs are typically aimed at supporting youth, the Village recognizes that situations can arise where adults require a place where they too can find help and assistance.
By clearly marking and marketing specific participating locations, a person will feel encouraged and comfortable to step inside to find needed support. The Village is proud that our community generally feels safe and secure, but we also recognize there are unfortunate situations that can arise and, to date, there have not been any officially recognized locations of comfort for those feeling trapped in a vulnerable position.
Additional information on the program can be found here:
Trumansburg Safe Spot Overview