“Chloe” ran away from home and was missing for a week. Although her mother passed out flyers and notified the police, no one could find her. 

At that point, Chloe’s teacher called on the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter, an Administration for Children and Families grantee. 

Shelter staff referred Chloe’s case to its drop-in center, Project Lighthouse, which helps runaway, homeless and at risk youth. Project Lighthouse’s outreach workers scoured the streets of Key West every night; eventually they spotted her. The workers used word of mouth to pass the message to Chloe that she was missed and that her mother just wanted to know if she was safe. 

Responding to this gentle strategy, Chloe called her mother, and with the support of Project Lighthouse, began to work on solutions to their problems.