TOLEDO, Ohio —
Northwest Ohio's only 24/7 shelter for runaway and homeless youth, The Safety Net, is getting recognition.
On Tuesday, Lucas County commissioners declared November "Youth HOPE Month" in response to the Zepf Center's work to address a growing problem in the community.
"HOPE" stands for Homelessness, Outreach, Prevention and Education.
The Zepf Center's Director of Youth Services, Andrea Murdock, said the shelter provides an important service to the region.
"We have a lot of youth who need these additional services," Murdock said. "They have either run away from their home due to some type of event that has happened or they're homeless because they don't have stable housing."
Murdock said getting recognition for the Zepf Center's youth shelter helps spread the word about their mission.
She believes recognition and word-of-mouth are the reasons they've seen an increase in runaways and homeless youth needing their services.
The Safety Net saw a 40% increase in youth residents between 2022 and 2023, according to the center.
"This past year, we had an increase of almost 100 youth from the previous year," Murdock said.
The shelter isn't just helping kids in northwest Ohio.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Services Manager Charles Green says sometimes they're tasked with serving youth from across state lines - and even around the world.
"We do get kids from Michigan. We've gotten kids from as far as Mexico," Green said. "We had a kid from China, I believe."
The shelter is open to minors looking to escape troubling home lives, but it's also more than that. Green said the center is also an option for families trying to give their kids better lives.
"Not all the families that we come in contact with are just throwing their kids away or not trying to take care of their kids to raise their kids. A lot of times they're just asking for help," Green said.
To learn more about the Safety Net, click here.