Local coverage:
RENO, Nev. – The Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) is proud to announce it has been designated a Safe Place site by our community’s Safe Place agency, The Children’s Cabinet, and will be implementing a human trafficking training program for every airport employee.
The Children’s Cabinet is RNO’s partner in handling any potential Safe Place occurrences and to help ensure timely and respectful managing of such situations. In partnership with The Children’s Cabinet, RNO will be ready to assist troubled youth whether they are running from an abusive home or trying to escape the clutches of a human trafficker.
“At The Children’s Cabinet, we aim to keep all children safe, and through Safe Place, provide immediate and accessible resources and support if they need help,” said Kim Young, The Children’s Cabinet Executive Director. “We believe Reno-Tahoe International Airport is a critical safety site in our list of local partner locations for children in crisis or dangerous situations.”
As a Safe Place site, the Safe Place logo is now displayed throughout the airport to provide a visual cue to troubled youths so they can seek help and safety by approaching any airport employee. In addition, RNO will be implementing a human trafficking training program for each employee that includes a video by the American Association of Airport Executives.
“With 4.2 million annual travelers who pass through the door of Reno-Tahoe International Airport, it makes sense for RNO to be a safe place for youth who may be in need,” said Marily Mora, President and CEO of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority. “We are pleased to work with our local partner, The Children’s Cabinet, to support their programs for area youth.”
Since 2003, The Children’s Cabinet has provided the program for teens age 12-17 in Washoe County with a toll-free number that youth can call or text 24 hours a day if they feel their safety is threatened at home, school, or in the community. A Children’s Cabinet case manager responds immediately, day or night, meeting the teen in person, providing shelter if necessary, and then assisting with family counseling and case management. The Children’s Cabinet helps over 300 local youth through Safe Place and its transitional living center each year, and its street and school outreach team reach an additional 13,000 youth by giving presentations, distributing resources and information, or talking one-on-one.
Safe Place is a national youth outreach and prevention program for young people under the age of 18 (up to 21 years of age in some communities) in need of immediate help and safety. Safe Place designates businesses as Safe Place locations, making help readily available to youth in communities across the country. Locally, Project Safe Place maintains a growing network of over 65 local businesses, including McDonald’s restaurants, retail stores, restaurants, non-profits in the area, the entire fleet of RTC buses, and Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
About The Children’s Cabinet
The Children’s Cabinet is a Nevada nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping children safe and families together. Since 1985, The Children’s Cabinet has collaborated with public partners and community leaders to identify gaps in service and to meet the needs of a wide-ranging age group—from small children to young adults. Services include child care resources, parenting classes, education and work experience programs, outreach to runaway, homeless, and foster youth, and family counseling. With the help of donations and other community support, The Children’s Cabinet is able to provide its many programs and services at no charge. For more information about Children’s Cabinet, please visit www.childrenscabinet.org or call 775-856-6200. Follow us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/childrenscabinet and Twitter at www.twitter.com/ChldrnsCabnt.
More on Safe Place in Washoe County
- Project Safe Place is a national program that provides teens in crisis with safe, temporary shelter to escape dangerous situations or homelessness. Since 2003, The Children’s Cabinet has provided the program for youth ages 12-17 in Washoe County with a toll-free number (1-800-536-4588) that youth can call or text 24 hours a day, if they feel their safety is threatened at home, school, or in the community. A Children’s Cabinet case manager responds immediately, day or night, meeting the teen in person, providing temporary shelter, and then assisting with family counseling and case management.
- Project Safe Place also maintains a growing network of over 65 local businesses in Washoe County, including McDonald’s restaurants & RTC buses, that are trained to receive youth and to contact The Children’s Cabinet immediately.
- The Children’s Cabinet helps over 300 local youth through Safe Place and related runaway and homeless youth services each year. The Cabinet’s street and school outreach team reaches an additional 13,000 youth by giving presentations, distributing resources and information, or talking one-on-one.
- The Center for Aspiring Youth (The CAY), opened in February 2017, is The Children’s Cabinet transitional living facility for Safe Place youth with 24/7 staff and a facility which provides a home-like living environment for teens and young adults, ages 12 to 17, in Washoe County. This facility enables our team to provide youth with a safe and stable living environment while they gain independence and/or safely reconnect with family. Our goal is to help them find stability through one or more of The Children’s Cabinet’s programs.
- At any given time, there are approximately 200 to 400 youth in Washoe County who are homeless and unaccompanied by an adult. They are living on the streets, by the river, ‘couch surfing’ at friends’ houses, or spending nights in motels. And, there are hundreds of other teens who need us because their safety is threatened at home, school, or in the community.
