TOLEDO, Ohio — Runaway and homeless youth in Lucas County are somewhat of an invisible phenomenon as many people don’t know there are kids in need of shelter in our community. "I think oftentimes people forget that young people are also experiencing homelessness in our community," said Deb Flores, the CEO of the Zepf Center. As the winter months gear up, the Zepf Center’s Safety Net sees an increase in children looking for help.

Safety Net provides kids with temporary housing if they are in need. Youth at Safety Net have walked as far as 40 miles to find their way there or were staying in an abandoned building before finding help. "We've had almost 200 kids that have been in our shelter just this calendar year. Let young people know that there is a safe place that they can come to if they need to take a shower, do laundry, hot meal, escape, whatever it is that’s causing them issues, conflict." Many situations can lead a child to run away. Especially with the current economic environment, parents may be extra busy and kids may feel like they have nowhere to turn. "There could be conflict in the household, we've seen an uptick in kids that are identifying as LGBTQ and we also know that there's a human trafficking element in our community, we've heard about this. We know that young people are trying to escape gang violence. It just could be multiple things happening." But despite the reason why they're leaving, they're all seeking a place to stay. "And they just want to test the waters. 'Is this a safe place for me?' You know, we've had people that have come in and leave within a few minutes and then we've had some, like I've mentioned, that stay for as much as 30 days."

NBC 24 got the opportunity to speak with one of the youth at Safety Net who left home, though we were unable to film the interview due to confidentiality. The youth did tell us that they feel safe and helped by Safety Net. Those feelings are something leaders hope will help bring awareness to what is happening in our community, while also showing kids there is a safe place to stay. "I think it's a chance for us to, across the country, to say that we're here," Flores said. "We are available to people in need. There's many resources available for people but oftentimes they don’t know until it’s too late." Safety Net hopes by speaking out more people will know what's going on in our community and kids in need will find resources.

To see the video interview, click here. 

For youth in need of service, you can reach the Safety Net through its website.