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Juneau Business get involved in ‘Safe Place Program’ for youth in crisis.

NOTN- A new program aimed at helping youth in crisis is launching in Juneau through a partnership between the Shéiyi Xaat Hít Youth Shelter, Tlingit and Haida, first responders and local businesses.

The Safe Place program provides immediate help for young people ages 10 to 17 who need safety or support. Participating businesses and organizations display a black-and-yellow Safe Place sign, letting youth know they can come inside and ask for help.

Employees will contact staff at the Shéiyi Xaat Hít Youth Shelter, who will respond within 30 minutes to provide crisis support and connect youth with needed resources.

Organizers say the program expands the safety net for vulnerable youth, including those who are homeless, have run away, or are at risk of doing so.

“Although we’ve served a record number of youth at the shelter over the last year, we know that there’s many more who need help. Safe Place is a great way for us to expand the safety net of support for youth in Juneau,” shares Hannah Jenkins, Outreach Coordinator at Shéiyi Xaat Hít.

Initial Safe Place locations include Juneau fire stations, the Juneau Police Department, the Zach Gordon Youth Center, the Southeast Alaska Food Bank, Glacier Cinemas, Kindred Post, Dimond Park Aquatic Center, and Augustus Brown swimming pool.

Youth can find a Safe Place by looking for the black and yellow signs on businesses, searching the list of current Safe Places at bit.ly/SheiyiXaatHit, or texting their location and the word “safe” to TXT-4-HELP (44357).

A community launch party was held at the Zach Gordon Youth Center on Friday.

Alaska youth face high suicide risk; September events with NAMI aimed to open conversations

This article will contain mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

NOTN- September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and advocates in Juneau say the observance is an important chance to break stigma and share resources.

Jessica Gray, of NAMI Juneau, said Alaska continues to face persistently high rates of suicide, with nearly 200 deaths each year.

‘In Alaska, suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10 to 24,” Said Gray, “Young people don’t want to feel like a burden. There’s so much stigma surrounding the topic as well. We don’t talk about mental health the same way that we talk about physical health.”

Gray noted that free resources are available statewide, including the Alaska Careline and the national suicide prevention hotline. Both are available 24/7 for people in crisis.

NAMI events throughout September have been aimed at creating open dialogue and community support.

A Wall of Remembrance launched during First Friday at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center.

Gray said building community connections is one of the most powerful protective factors against suicide.

“That’s why Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is so important, because it opens up the conversation, and it gives people a chance to know that they’re not alone, that it is okay to ask for help,” Gray Said “It is okay to have these conversations about such a hard topic. It’s really powerful in that sense, because it builds connection. And we know that connection is one of the primary protective factors for suicide.”

Support group meetings will be taking place for the rest of the month, visit NAMI’s calendar, available at NAMI Juneau’s website for more details.

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