McGruff Neighborhood
McGruff House
McGruff Houses provide temporary havens for children who are in dangerous situations.
“We’ll call for help!”
A McGruff House is a temporary haven for children who find themselves in frightening or dangerous situations. Children are told that they can go to specially marked McGruff Houses, which might be houses, townhouses, apartments, or mobile homes, any time they sense danger as they go to and from school or are playing in the neighborhood.
McGruff Houses provide a safety network for children and reduce the risk that children will be victimized.
McGruff House volunteers do
- Call the child’s parents or appropriate authorities if a child is lost or has a medical emergency
- Reassure the child if he or she is frightened
- Report crimes and suspicious activities
- Consent
to a background check
McGruff House volunteers don’t
- Provide first aid (except in life-threatening situations)
- Administer medications
- Supervise the neighborhood
- Enforce
laws
Local McGruff Houses rely on a partnership of law enforcement, school personnel, and volunteer participants and local coordinators.
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Law enforcement is typically the first resource McGruff House participants will call to help a child.
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School personnel help make children aware of McGruff Houses and teach them how to use them. Schools are a key partner because the program is most needed when children are on their way to or from school or playing afterwards.
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Carefully screened volunteers are the root of the program and the first contact for children needing help.
