Housing and Development Newsletter
Safe Place is a national outreach and prevention program for youth ages 18 years and younger who are in crisis. It is estimated more than a million youth run away from home each year due to abuse, neglect, family conflicts, and other issues.
The Safe Place program is an option for young people who feel they have nowhere to turn.
The Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, 600 S. McClelland St., was inducted into the National Safe Place Network on Jan. 6, 2020. The Santa Maria Fire Department is in the process of designating its five fire stations as Safe Place sites, bringing the total number of local Safe Place locations to seven by spring.