The exploding methamphetamine crisis in Utah is claiming a growing number of innocent victims.

They are the children of meth users. And those children are ending up at a record rate in special shelter homes.

The shelter home is a family available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to take a child who needs help, until permanent arrangements can be made. News Specialist Karen Scullin has more.

The call came in at 2:30 in the morning. Another child who's parents were addicted to meth. Shelter Mom, Helen, says, "This child was apparently left laying in the crib for a couple of days."

Helen has become familiar with the signs of a baby impacted by meth. While the user spends all his time finding the next fix, the children are neglected, underdeveloped and weak.

"The baby was very withdrawn, didn't make eye contact. Just laid quietly," Helen recalls. Liz Rivera, of Salt Lake County Children's Shelter, says, "We've seen a lot of drug situations throughout the years, but meth is different issue becuase of the level of neglect."

And the numbers are alarming. In the last six to nine months, Rivera says meth related cases have jumped from one per month, to one to two cases per week.

And those meth related cases don't always involve one child. Sometimes it's two or three. And some of the older children, 3, 4, 5, can show very different, sometimes shocking symptoms of neglect.

Rivera explains, "They eat everything. I mean we've held shelter moms tell me they eat out of the garbage, because they're not fed regularly. So they'll pick up food off the floor. So we have to explain to the kids, you're going to get enough to eat here, you're going to be okay."

And there are sometimes physical injuries. The chemicals can explode causing burns, but just exposure to meth ingredients can be toxic. "So they're coming in with it on their skin," Rivera says. "They've been inhaling it. So every child that comes in they have to be medically cleared before we admit them into the program."

The number of cases is expected to increase, that means The Salt Lake County Children's Shelter needs more families to serve in crisis situations.

The shelter currently has 26 families helping children in various crisis situations. That number needs to double.

If you would like to help call the Salt Lake County Children's Shelter at 269-0518. Generally children stay with crisis shelter families for about three weeks.

All they ask is that there is at least one stay-at-home parent, and the family be financially stable.