The DeKalb County Youth Services Bureau is giving book bags containing toiletries and food certificates to local homeless youth.

A dozen book bags are available at the youth services bureau, a nonprofit agency that helps 75-100 runaway and locked-out children every year. No book bags have gone out yet, executive director Dan Templin said.

“We hear stories of kids moving around, and we know they are out there. Because of the nature of their life, they almost never want someone sticking their nose in their business,” said Lisa Holden, a crisis intervention coordinator at the youth services bureau. The exact number of homeless youth is difficult to document because parents often do not report runaway and locked-out youth, she said.

According to the National Runaway Switchboard, a Chicago-based agency providing information to homeless youth, one in seven kids between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away from home.

The book bags contain McDonald’s food certificates, a wash cloth and towel, a hat, gloves, a fleece blanket and a contact list of local social services.

“Usually what these youth are doing is called ‘couch surfing.’ They’re bouncing from home to home sleeping on friends’ couches,” Holden said.

The teenagers usually are displaced because their parents locked them out or they decided on their own to leave their homes, Holden said, and many of the youth have dealt with a home life characterized by substance abuse and domestic violence. Holden said most continue attending school.

The bureau, 330 Grove St., received a $1,000 grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation and numerous other donations since November, including a $250 private donation, book bags from Wal-Mart and toiletries from community churches.

Youth don’t need to identify themselves to receive a book bag, Holden said. They need only to meet with a counselor, who work to help the vulnerable youth to identify safety risks and help them develop a safety plan, she said.

Youth can contact the bureau at 748-2010 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, for more information on the bags.

The bureau hopes to run the book bag program indefinitely and welcomes donations of materials and money. To donate, contact Lisa or Dan at 748-2010.