St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund, Behavioral Health Response and Youth In Need (YIN) launched a new program on Oct. 7.

The hotline is funded by the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund which was recently awarded $35 million to 44 local nonprofit and government agencies. Over the next 17 months, the money will help expand substance abuse and direct mental health services to children, youth and their families.

This effort is a result of Proposition one, or Putting Kids First. Proposition one was passed in Nov 2008 to provide the services the hotline is intended for to youth ages nineteen and under.

The hotline offers services to families in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Individuals in need can access the hotline by calling 314-628-2929 or 1-877-928-2929, texting 4HLP to 31658 or going to the nearest neighborhood Safe Place location. As of October, the texting is live.

Professional mental health counselors receive calls at St. Louis-based BHR and dispatch YIN Street Outreach Program staff as needed, and offer linkages to appropriate services.

Youth can find refuge in neighborhood Safe Place locations, which are local shelters provided by community-based, youth friendly businesses. YIN is currently sharing information about the help line and how to access it to St. Louis County neighborhoods and will dispatch staff to transport those in need from Safe Place sites to an appropriate service provider.

Since 1995, YIN has coordinated the St. Louis regional Safe Place program with Quick Trip being the leading supporter. Quick Trip provides 35 Safe Place locations in St. Louis County. The program is intended to expand from 125 Safe Place sites in St. Louis County to 175 neighborhood locations.