im 14 and want to run away?

Re: im 14 and want to run away?

Thanks for getting in touch. It’s never easy asking for help, and it sounds like you have a lot going on at home. If you did decide to run away, we want to make sure you have a plan to stay safe, like having a place to stay, enough money to get you where you are going and in case something goes wrong, things like that. While Chicago is a bigger city, findings jobs at 14 may be challenging as a lot of place won’t employ someone until they are at least 16.
Things are also more expensive than in smaller towns, so if you were able to find something that pays, that money might not stretch as far as it would in a smaller place. While there are some organizations to help youth who are on their own, there can be a lot of limitations in a large city where there are a lot of youth who are looking for help with not a lot of resources. We are happy to talk over your plans with you and see if you feel prepared for something like that though. Alternatively, if you decide you don’t want to leave, we can talk about other options for staying away from your dad. You could possibly stay with friends or at school to stay out of the house in the afternoons. When you are home, perhaps you could stay in your room with the door shut to avoid being around him. It sound like a really difficult situation you are in, but we can definitely talk about different options to see what you might be most comfortable doing. If you would prefer talking to someone you know, perhaps another family member or school counselor would be able to help. If you would like to talk further or have any other questions, you can reach us 24/7 at 1800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or via chat 1800runaway.org. Again, thank you for getting in touch. It’s great to see that you’re trying to make this really tough situation better for yourself.

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