Safe Haven Baby Box installed in Houston-area for first time

HOUSTON - It's a box first responders hope doesn't have to be used, but they also recognize it's a resource that could be life-saving. The first "Safe Haven Baby Box" in the Greater Houston-area has been installed in The Woodlands at fire station #6 for any parent in crisis.

Safe Haven Box in Houston-are

Since 2017, 58 infants have been safely and legally surrendered in a Baby Box. The National Safe Haven Crisis line has assisted with more than 150 handoff surrenders. The founder says there is a need for this alternative to provide parents with a safe and anonymous option. 

RELATED: Houston sees 500% increase in abandoned babies since 2022

The Baby Box is located at 1100 Windsor Lakes Boulevard, Conroe, TX. 77384 near Interstate 45 and State Highway 242.

The backstory:

Texas's Safe Haven, or Baby Moses law, has been around for 25 years, allowing a parent in crisis to surrender their newborn baby anonymously.

The law says a baby must be 60 days or younger, unharmed and placed in the hands of someone at a hospital, fire or EMS station. In 2023, Texas expanded the law to allow for the installation of baby boxes, giving parents a safe and legal way to surrender their newborn without contact.  

What we know:

The Woodlands Township director, Shelley Sekula Gibbs, was motivated to install one for the greater Houston area after at least six babies were abandoned locally in 2024. That number is a 50% jump from 2023, when four babies were abandoned, and a 500% increase from 2022, when only one baby was abandoned. 

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The boxes are climate-controlled and equipped with alarms to notify firefighters when a baby is surrendered. The exterior door locks automatically, and an interior door allows the firefighters to quickly retrieve the baby.  

What you can do:

To learn more about Safe Haven Baby Box visit https://www.shbb.org.