The mother of an East Orange teenager who went missing for nearly a month will be in court on Wednesday for a detention hearing.

Jamie Moore is facing charges for allegedly abusing her daughter, 14-year-old Jashyah Moore. Jashyah went missing on Oct. 14 and was found nearly a month later in New York City. Authorities say that she ran away from home to escape the abuse she allegedly received at the hands of her mother.

But as Jashyah and her younger brother get the help they need, officials in East Orange are working to make sure that other children in crisis have the help they need as well.

Mayor Ted Green says that he and his team know that not every runaway or missing persons case will have a happy ending. So now they are working on a program they hope will keep kids from running away in the first place by making it easy to access what they need to feel and be safe.

“You can’t talk about it. We’ve got to be about it. And in the city of East Orange we are going to be about it,” the mayor says.

Green says that officials must learn from Jashyah’s case. The teen felt that she had no choice but to run away from her home.

“It really taught all of us that in any type of situation, especially in our community, we can come together as one and do what we have to do. And not just for Jashyah, but any young person,” Green says.

East Orange will create a 24/7 hotline for all children in crisis.

“When you look at children, home is where you are supposed to feel safe,” says Dr. Monique Griffith, director of the East Orange Department of Health & Human Services.

Griffith says that the department already has services and resources in place. The new program will integrate and simplify them and make it easier for any child who doesn’t feel safe to access the help they need close to home.

“What we want to do is ensure that we stress that we are here. We’re here and available and accessible. So if any other child who finds him or herself in the same type of situation as Jashyah – we are here and poised to provide the level of support we wished Jashyah knew was available to her,” says Griffith.

Officials hope to have the program up and running in a few weeks.

And for those who wish to help Jashyah and her 3-year-old brother, the city is organizing a holiday gift and clothing drive. Donations will be accepted at East Orange City Hall through Dec. 15.

238 N. Munn Street, East Orange, NJ

973-678-5882

168 N. Park Street, East Orange, NJ

973-675-6780

1-877-NJ ABUSE (652-2873)

24 hours a day - 7 days a week

1-888-222-2228

24 hours a day - 7 days a week