Get Involved

The Relatives is Mecklenburg County’s ONLY shelter for homeless and runaway youth in Mecklenburg County. The program operates around-the-clock 365 days a year. Funding is provided by government grants, corporations and foundations, and individuals like you.

The more than 1,200 youth served by The Relatives each year need your help. The Relatives gladly accepts monetary contributions as well as in-kind donations of certain goods and services. We also offer volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals from mentoring to house maintenance projects. As you can imagine, maintaining a home for 9 teens is a constant challenge, especially for a bunch of social workers who barely know which is the working end of a screwdriver!

Learn more about how you can become involved in our mission to help keep kids safe and families together.

- Volunteer
- Donate
- View our Needs List

To learn more about how to get involved, please attend our monthly Lunch and Tour at The Relatives Crisis Center. To learn more and to register for the Lunch and Tour, click here. Programs are generally on the fourth Friday of each month at noon at shelter.

Thanks to Our
Safe Place Partners

In Mecklenburg County, the Safe Place program is a community collaboration between The Relatives and several businesses and government agencies. Our Safe Place partners help make it possible for young people in need of help to access The Relatives from just about anywhere in the region. Our Safe Place Partners connect youth to immediate help and safety, and offer supportive services to both youth and their families. Safe Place partners display the yellow Safe Place sign anywhere youth can ask for help, and representatives from those partner organizations work with The Relatives to ensure these youth obtain the assistance they need.

Bojangles CMFD Chick-fil-A Southend Chick-fil-A SouthPark Children & Family Services Building Forest Hills Church Meck Park and Rec Pritchard Memorial Providence UMC The Y

Alexander Graham Middle School

The Relatives began partnering with National Safe Place in 1988 to create a local network of businesses, public resources, churches, schools, and transportation services, who were willing to post Safe Place signs throughout our community to identify themselves as a place to get help for kids in crisis. Any child or teen can ask for help at these locations and be connected to The Relatives Crisis Center free of charge. Our Safe Place program allows The Relatives to expand its reach to more youth in the community and allow businesses to help this on going effort.

Get Involved

Thanks to Our Safe Place Partners

Alexander Graham Middle School

Thanks to Our
Safe Place Partners