I'm a 17 year old girl in Florida.

[Guest]

My mother is threatening to kick me out, she says at 17 she can. She has also threatened that if that doesn't work she'll have me committed to a juvenile detention center. I don't know what legalities are in place for Florida and what I should do. I don't have a job anymore and my license is suspended (which I think could prevent me from getting a new job) because of my attendance at school when I stopped going so I could transfer to a college and finish online through adult high school but last minute my mother refused to agree to a withdrawn and kept me enrolled.

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us during this difficult time. It sounds like you are caught in a loop with regards to finishing your education and need some additional help. The National Center for Homeless Education Helpline at 1-800-308-2145 might be helpful for getting someone to advocate for you. You also mentioned you are worried about your mom kicking you out. As long as you are a minor, your parent or legal guardian cannot kick you out without providing an alternative safe place for you to go. So it is actually against the law for your mother to just throw you out on the street and it's not as easy as you think to place someone in detention. You would have to commit some sort of crime or possibility be involved in the MINS/CHINS (an at-risk youth/out-of-control program that goes through the court system). Although she does have the option of getting the courts involved like stated before, you do have the right to feel safe and wanted in your own home.

Now we do offer a service that is basically a Conference Call where the parent/guardian, the youth, and us would be on the phone talking about what has been going on. This way there can be a mediator in between keeping things calm and productive. If you’d feel more comfortable with doing that, just know that it’s always available. It might be a great way to talk about what you are going through and what you have learned from being in this situation and even coming up with a solid/detailed plan of how to more forward while living there with them. Something constructive so that it certainly opens the lines of communication, but that services is completely up to you. It’s hard to talk to just anyone one about what has been going on..

Please give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) at any time.
We wish you the best of luck.