EMERGENCY NUMBERS  Synergy Services

Domestic Violence Hotline

816-HOTLINE

800-491-1114

24 Hour Youth Crisis Hotline

816-741-8700

888-233-1639

Everybody Needs a Safe Place

Safe Place is the first step to help for any youth in crisis or at risk.  This community collaboration program, operated by youth shelters or youth serving agencies make it possible for any youth to access help at locations including fast food restaurants, convenience stores, fire stations, libraries and city buses which display the Safe Place sign.  Youth can easily find help at Safe Place sites in their own neighborhood whenever they need it.  Safe Place connects youth to immediate help and safety and offers supportive services to both youth and their families.

Children

• 1,500 children die every year from child abuse and neglect. That is just over four fatalities every day. 79% of the children killed are younger than age four.
• 80% of young adults who had been abused met the diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder at the age of 21 (including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, & post-traumatic stress disorder)
• Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy
• Children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime.
• Children who have been sexually abused are 2.5 times more likely develop alcohol abuse and 3.8 times more likely to develop drug addictions.
• Synergy’s Children’s Center housed 110 children last year.
• 19% of the children served by Synergy’s children’s shelter are under one year old. 61% are under six years old.
   

Youth

• More than 2,000 young people in Greater Kansas City are homeless at any given time.
• Traditional homeless shelters don’t accept unaccompanied youth under 18.
• For the past five years, lack of space at Synergy House—which provides 60% of the beds available to the metro’s homeless youth—has forced Synergy to turn away one youth for every one that is served. 
• 43% of homeless youth report being beaten by a caretaker.
• 40% of homeless youth report being gay and abused in their schools and homes for their orientation.
• 44% of homeless youth report that one or both of their parents had at some point received treatment for alcohol, drug or psychological problems.
• 314 young people were sheltered at Synergy House in 2007.
• The Street Outreach Services program served 1,630 youth on the street and distributed 19,923 items including food, water, clothing and blankets.
   

 Women

• One in three women will be abused in her lifetime.
• 2,880 women are beaten daily.
• 40% of all 911 calls are domestic violence related.
• SafeHaven, Synergy’s domestic violence shelter, provided shelter to 304 Women and 225 children last year. 
• Synergy’s Women’s Center hotline received 3,011 calls in 2007.
   

Bullying

• More than 500,000 “attacks, shakedowns and robberies” occur every month in secondary schools (National School Safety Center)
• An estimated 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students (National Education Association)
• 81% of boys and 72% of girls will be seriously impacted by bullying during their school career (National Journal of School Counseling)
• Almost 16,000 young people attended Synergy’s violence prevention programs last year.
• Statistic source from Synergy Services

reStart Inc. , an interfaith ministry with homeless persons, is committed to providing shelter and supportive services to homeless men, women, youth and families with the goal of helping persons move toward independence and self-sufficiency.