There are about 2 million runaway teens in the United States each year. Some live on the streets, others just need a break from their home life. If they do leave home, organizations like locally based Phoenix Tumbleweeds want to help.

There are over 100 safe places in the state. Every Quick Trip location, some fire stations, banks and the list goes on. Now, a new program links teens with those Safe Place locations. Called, "Txt 4 Help," teens can now text SAFE and a basic location (McDowell & 3rd St.) to the number 69866 and they'll get a response with the nearest safe place location to them. The reasoning behind the text is simple: it's a teen's preferred mode of communication. 90% of teens have access to a cell phone. Almost 66% of those teens prefer to text.

This year the Tumbleweed Center for Development has already picked up 60 teens from Safe Place locations. In years past, they were doing maybe 14. The numbers are increasing. The reason is not exactly known. For more information on the organization go to www.tumbleweed.org.