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Hi I’m 16 and yesterday I trashed my mom apartment bc she lied to me about taking me to my aunts house I know that’s not a good reason to do that bc that was wrong and I apologize for that but she took my key and said I can’t come back home she don’t provide for me anymore and she said the police is coming after me and I’m scared bc I don’t want to go back to jail all I want is a family to care for me a mother figure that why I want to go to a foster home what should I do I’m stuck and clueless
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Hey there,
Thanks for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you were angry that you didn’t get to see your aunt, unsure what will happen next, and afraid of getting punished and sent back to lonely jail. Wanting and needing a loving family is normal and perfectly valid-- and you 100% deserve one.
Your mom is legally responsible for you until you reach the age of majority (18 in most states). This makes it is illegal for her to kick you out. Also, you mentioned that she no longer provides for you. Since you are under 18, it is possible this may be considered neglect. Technically, foster homes are for youth were taken out of their home by the state. You would need to file an abuse and neglect report for entry into a foster system.
One option is the National Safe Place: nationalsafeplace.org. You may text “SAFE” and your location to 69866, and they’ll connect you to the closest safe place for youth in crisis. Depending on service closest to you, the crisis worker may connect you with shelter, resources, and the ability to file a report.
We hope that this at least offers you a starting point. Remember you are always welcome to call National Runaway Safeline when you need. We may be able to answer your questions, connect you with more options and assist you better if you call or chat. All the best,
~NRS
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I am 16 and i live with my aunt. i need somewhere to go that will not report me to the authorities. i am broke and i want to find my biological mother (i was taken away from her when i was younger) my aunt has not even obtained guardianship over me by law and ive lived with her for most of my life. She refuses to tell me any information about my mother. Ive decided im going to take a dna test and find her but all i need right now is somewhere to stay. i am a weed user and need somewhere that will not stop me or report me. If i run away is my aunt in the right to stop me or not?Comment
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Hello There,
Thank you for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. It sounds like you are going through a really difficult time right now and we want you to know that you are not alone.
We are not legal experts but we do have some information on the laws. Because you are a minor it is a possibility that wherever you go may contact your aunt or the local police. We can try and help you find a safe place, but for us to do that we would need you to call us and provide your city and state.
We hope this information will be helpful to you in your situation. If you have any other questions or would like to explore more options please give us a call. We are here 24/7 to listen and provide support to you.
NRS
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I'm 16 i want to run away for my parents their Christian and im gay and they hate it and tell my siblings that its worng and ima burn in hellComment
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Thank you for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’re in a really tough situation, and it must be difficult to hear such hurtful comments from your family. Running away is a big decision. It would be helpful for us to learn more about your situation to make sure that you stay safe. We can be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or via chat at https://www.1800runaway.org/.
In addition, there are other resources that may be helpful in handling the issues with your family. The first is: GLBT National Hotline, and can be reached at 1-888-843-4564 or http://www.glbthotline.org/. The second resource is: GLBT National Youth Talkline and can be reached at 1-800-246-Pride (7743) or http://www.glbthotline.org/youth-talkline.html.
We’re here 24/7, so please feel free to reach out any time. We hope to hear from you soon. Best of luck!
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Earlier this evening my parents threatened to kick me out even though I am 16 I have a friend that lives right down the street from me who I have known since 1rst grade but now that we are sophomores and we go to the same high school we do not have any classes together and I do not know if my parents will let me live in his family's house or not so I do not know where to stay because I need a place to stayComment
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Hey there,
Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are glad that you are reaching out for help—that takes a lot of bravery. It sounds like you are going through an extremely difficult time right now with life at home and are thinking about running away. We are so sorry to hear that you are being threatened to be kicked out—that is not right, and you deserve to feel loved and welcomed in your own home. We are here to support you.
You ask very good questions. Although we are not legal experts here at NRS, we do want to share some things to consider if you do decide to leave home or go stay with a friend. One thing to consider is that since you are not yet 18 years old, your guardian could file a missing child report to their local police department. Law enforcement will collect basic information about you that will go into a national database, and they can then return you home in the event you are found. Have you considered where you may go if you do runaway? Who would you stay with that is safe? How would you support yourself financially to cover the cost of housing, food, and necessities?
Also, say for example, you go to stay with your friend that you’ve know since the 1st grade, while it’s great to have a friend that you’ve known for such a long time, if you go to stay at a friend’s/family member’s house without parental permission for over 24 hours (the exact timing depends on which state you live in), you parents could potentially file against your friend’s parents with something called “harboring a runaway.” This is a legal term for kidnapping. Might sound extreme, we understand. If your parents don’t know this friend and do not know where to look, they could also file a missing child report to their local police department.
We can offer temporary youth shelters for you in your local area, but given your age, your guardian may still need to consent for you to stay there. If you call us (1-800-RUNAWAY) or reach out via chat at 1800runaway.org (click on the “chat” button), we’d be happy to provide those resources for you.
Another option to consider is looking into emancipation laws in your state. Emancipation is a law where a minor (meaning someone under the age of 18 years old) can be considered an adult if he or she is able to prove that they can financially support themselves, are legally married, or are active in the military. We are not experts in this legal area, but often the process may take a few months and you will need to go before a judge to explain your case. A resource that may be helpful in answering questions related to this is the National Center for Youth Law Agency at (510) 835-8098 (www.youthlaw.org/).
If you ever feel unsafe, you can text the word “safe” to 4HELP (44357) to receive a message of the closet Safe Place to go.
We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat here at NRS if you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon. Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button). We also offer conference call and messaging service if you would like us to facilitate a conversation with you and your parent(s) or leave a message to them on your behalf. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
Be safe,
NRS
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I'm 16 and I want to run away
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Hey there,
Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are glad that you are reaching out for help. We are here to support you during this time as you figure out how to handle life at home. You deserve to feel like home is a safe place and we are sorry that it sounds like it is not at this time.
You ask very good questions. Although we are not legal experts here at NRS, if you do decide to runaway in the meantime, one thing to consider is that since you are not yet 18 years old nor emancipated, your guardian could file a missing child report to their local police department. Law enforcement will collect basic information about you that will go into a national database, and they can then return you home in the event you are found. Have you considered where you may go if you do runaway? Who would you stay with that is safe? How would you support yourself financially to cover the cost of housing, food, and necessities?
We can offer temporary youth shelters for you in your local area, but given your age, your guardian may still need to consent for you to stay there. If you call us (1-800-RUNAWAY) or reach out via chat at 1800runaway.org (click on the “chat” button), we’d be happy to provide those resources for you.
Another option to consider is looking into emancipation laws in your state. Emancipation is a law where a minor (meaning someone under the age of 18 years old) can be considered an adult if he or she is able to prove that they can financially support themselves, are legally married, or are active in the military. We are not experts in this legal area, but often the process may take a few months and you will need to go before a judge to explain your case. A resource that may be helpful in answering questions related to this is the National Center for Youth Law Agency at (510) 835-8098 (www.youthlaw.org/).
If you ever feel unsafe, you can text the word “safe” to 4HELP (44357) to receive a message of the closet Safe Place to go.
We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat here at NRS if you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon. Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button). We also offer conference call and messaging service if you would like us to facilitate a conversation with you and your parent(s) or leave a message to them on your behalf. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
Be safe,
NRS
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Hi I'm a 16 year old male once again my parents keep attempting and trying to forcefully to kick me out of our house and I have a friend who I have known since elementary school since 1st grade and now that we are sophomores and we go to the same high school we never talk to each other anymore because nowadays we never have any classes together anymore and my next nearest relatives from my moms side of my family are my cousins and their mom and dad who live together in Orinda California then their are my cousins who live in San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, San Jose California and I am alone scared afraid terrified horrorified and I feel like I have nowhere to go and now one to turn to except my friend because his dad is a real life police officer and I live in walnut creek California and he lives with his mom and dad downtown walnut creek California near our subway station so should I go stay at his houseLast edited by ccsmod3; 01-31-2023, 10:12 PM.Comment
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Thank you for reaching out to NRS. We acknowledge that it takes a lot of courage to reach out and we really appreciate you sharing a little bit about what has been going on. It sounds like living at home with your parents has been stressful, especially since you feel like you don't have that many supports nearby if they do end up kicking you out. You deserve to feel safe at home and we are sorry that they are making you feel so alone and terrified.
Out of the supports you did name, it seems like you are most interested in staying with your friend. It is great to identify safe people to go to in your area if you need them and we are glad you have this person as an option. On the other hand, if you plan on running away, it is important to consider that since you are under 18, your parents could file a runaway report. Although we are not legal experts, this would basically mean that law enforcement could return you home in the event that you are found. If you would like to talk through other options or be providedwith more resources, we really encourage you to reach out to us over the phone or by chat.
You also mentioned feeling suicidal. Again, we want to commend you for reaching out for help as it takes a lot of courage to do so. Although we are always here as support to help you through this
challenging time, another additional, confidential support line is the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline who you can reach by either calling or texting 9-8-8.
With this being said, we are able to best help by phone or chat if you would like to talk more in detail. You can reach us by either calling our 24/7 hotline (1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)) or chatting
us through this very website (www.1800runaway.org). If you in immediate danger or feel unsafe, we always encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance first. We really wish you
the absolute best of luck going forward and we hope to hear from you soon.
Stay safe,
NRS
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I am 16 and I want to runaway to my safe place with is walnut creek police station department
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Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to NRS. It sounds like home does not feel safe for you at this time so it is definitely understandable that you are wanting to leave. We want to acknowledge that running to your local police department, or even calling their local number, is always an option. Though, if you feel like you are in immediate danger, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek other emergency assistance immediately.
We want to be here to support you as you figure out what is the safest and best option for you at this time. The best way for us to be able to do that is by having you share a little more about what is going on so we can better understand the situation in real time. We also may be able to offer more resources for you through our call or chat option. You can either call our 24/7 hotline (1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)) or chat us through this very website (www.1800runaway.org) by clicking on the “chat” button. We hope to hear from you very soon.
Stay safe,
NRS
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What do I do if my mom wants to move out because our rent is too expensive and she drives me insaneComment
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Hi, thank you for reaching out. It sounds like your mom is planning on moving because rent is too high where you are living now. Options of what to do would be based on if she is planning on taking you with her to a new place or if she is planning on kicking you out. If you are under 18, it would be considered neglect if she were to kick you out. That also sounds frustrating that mom has been driving you insane. If you would like to talk more about what is happening or some options that might help, please either call our hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat us online at 1800runaway.org. We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe,
NRS
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16 and need to find a new place to live today
hi I’m 16 and I’ve been constantly arguing with my older sister who I live with currently. And now she’s finally done with it she wants me to leave the house today but I have no where to go and I have no one to call I don’t know what to do.Comment
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Hi there,
We are so glad you reached out to us here at NRS. We are sorry to hear that you are being forced to leave your sister’s house at such short notice. This sounds like an overwhelming and stressful situation, especially since you aren’t sure where to go next.
A potential option is reaching out to other close, trusted family members or friends to see if you are able to stay with them for the time being. Another option is looking into youth shelters in your area. If you able to reach out to us, we may be able to help find local resources for you or to even discuss alternative options outside of what we have already mentioned. We are available 24/7 either through our hotline (1800RUNAWAY (786-2929)) or by chatting us through this website (1800runaway.org).
We hope to hear from you soon.
Stay Safe,
NRS
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