Runaway Questions!

[ccsmod16]

RE: moving out

Hello,

Hope this finds you well. Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We are glad that you reached out and are looking for some help. It sounds like you are going through a tough time right now and are looking for some resources.
We are not legal experts here but do have some resources for legal aids that we can give you. Generally, with missing person reports, the goal is family reunification. The laws vary from state-to-state and it is also dependent on when you are turning 18.
The best way for us to help provide you the appropriate resources is to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), so we can talk further about your specific situation and obtain more knowledge to guide you in the right direction.
We are a confidential and anonymous 24/7 toll free hotline. We are here to listen and talk. Again, thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.

Best,

NRS

[ccsmod16]

RE: moving out

Hello,

Hope this finds you well. Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We are glad that you reached out and are looking for some help. It sounds like you are going through a tough time right now and are looking for some resources.
We are not legal experts here but do have some resources for legal aids that we can give you. Generally, with missing person reports, the goal is family reunification. The laws vary from state-to-state and it is also dependent on when you are turning 18.
The best way for us to help provide you the appropriate resources is to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), so we can talk further about your specific situation and obtain more knowledge to guide you in the right direction.
We are a confidential and anonymous 24/7 toll free hotline. We are here to listen and talk. Again, thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.

Best,

NRS

[Unregistered]

runaway- nyc

What are the laws for running away in NYC? How about for the people who let me stay in their homes? My parents have already filed a runaway report for me. I have school tomorrow and I don't want to miss school but I'm scared my parents will get the cops to go to my school once they know I'm there

[ccsmod6]

RE: runaway- nyc

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting us here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). It is great that you reached out for support during this difficult time. It sounds like you have decided to leave home due to some issues with your parents and you are concerned about police being involved especially while at school. We are not legal experts, but if a minor ( under age 18 ) leaves home without permission, the legal guardian/parent has the right to file a runaway report as your parents already did. The police may try to locate you and speak with you to find out what is going on at home. School staff may also become involved but to ensure you are safe. Running away in most states is considered a status offense and not a criminal offense. So this means you are not allowed to run away because you are a minor. The individual(s) you are staying with may be charged with harboring a runaway which is illegal. A lot of this depends on if your parents decide to press charges and how NYC handles cases. It if often best to contact local non-emergency (not 911) police to ask about the laws. If you needed help with this, we could help you if you'd like. It is best to call our crisis line at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat with us through our website www.1800runaway.org so that we may best help you.

We hope you are safe and want you to know that we are here to help. We look forward to your call or chat.

Take care,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Legal information

Hi, I'm planning on moving out at 18 without my parents' consent although they were warned. I was wondering if legal trouble would still happen even though I would be of age. I was also wondering is this completely confidential? I also am wondering what legal documents do I need, like social security card/certificates? How would I get my own copy of my birth certificate and is that needed? Also would I be required by law to return home since I wouldn't have graduated yet, I was planning on doing the rest online. Would I be able to sign myself up for online school? How does health care insurance work if I'm not there anymore? Am I still under it or no? Thank you for the time and response. State KS

[ccsmod2]

re: Legal Information

Hello,

Leaving home can be scary, there’s a lot to think about. It’s understandable that you would have a lot of questions about what could happen. We do want to let you know that we aren’t legal experts here, so we can’t say for sure what legal consequences there are for your state. Yes, all of our services are completely confidential. You don’t have to share anything that you don’t want to. We can answer generally some of the questions you are asking. We don’t exactly help youth to run away, but we can talk about any possible options you were considering. With that being said, we don’t really know what you would need to leave. Some people do find it useful to bring some documents with them and anything else that they feel is needed for leaving. In most states, if you are of legal age to be an adult there may not be any legal consequences. 17 is often a gray area and it’s hard to say for sure whether or not you would be made to go back home. Sometimes that is determined by a specific officer if you come in contact with any of them. A lot of times, in order to enroll in classes before you are 18, you would need your parents at some point of it. The school administration office can better answer that for you if you are thinking to do that. Also, with health care, most people are covered until they are 26, but not all health care insurance plans are the same. So we really can’t answer that for sure.

We do wish we could be a bit more helpful, but you have some really great questions that would just be better directed towards people who are working directly in this area. You are more than welcome to contact us if you need additional assistance. For further support you can always reach out to us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we are available 24/7. You can also reach us via chat on our website.

Best of luck to you,
NRS

[Unregistered]

i need out

Im 17 going to be 18 in 6-7 months and im in a placement would the law enforcement in wv even look for me if i left? Would they look if i was in another state? Idk what to do i just need out of here asap

[ccsmod5]

re: i need out

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It seems like you are going through a pretty tough time at this point in your life and we want you to know that we are here to listen and to help you in the best way that we can. From what you shared, it sounds like you are ready to leave your home and start your own life.

We want you to know that we are not legal experts here, which means that we are only able to speak about your situation in general terms. In most states, you would still be considered a minor which means that if you were to leave, your parents are allowed to contact the local police department and file a runaway report. If a report is filed and you are found, typically you would be forced to return home. Typically if you are in another states and are stopped by police, you would show up as a runaway in the database. For other states, typically officers would reach out to your original state and handle it the same way your state would. As we mentioned, we are not legal experts here. If you wanted more accurate answers, we would encourage you to reach out to your local police department and ask some general questions. If you wanted to know more information about what you can do, legally, we would encourage you to reach out to us and we will be able to point you in the right direction.

We hope that we were able to help you think a little more about your options and brainstorm some more with you, if you feel like you would still need some more support or go through some more options, please feel free to reach out to us here at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we are here 24/7. We also have a live chat service which is available from 4:30 PM to 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck in whatever it is you decide to do and hope to hear from you soon.


Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Can i apply for ssi while i am a runaway??

Hi so i was placed in a terrible foster home about two years ago, and after a couple of inappropriate situations i decided to leave and that i would best benefit from leaving, basically ever since then i have been a runaway. I have a form that states that i can apply to receive ssi when im 18. I am not yet 18, i will be 17 in February but i was wondering if i could apply for ssi now??? And also i was wondering on the California state laws on being a dependent of the court and if that means that i can not place myself into a shelter??

[ccsmod15]

Runaway Questions!

Hi, Thank you for reaching out to us at NRS. I’m sorry to hear that you are going through such a tough situation. It sounds like you have a lot going on. It must have been frightening to have such a bad experience in a foster home, and to have to be a runaway since then. We’re not legal experts here, so this answer is going to be fairly general. I’m not sure what the rules are about SSI. If you want to give us a call, we could provide you with the number for Legal Aid. Legal Aid offers free (or greatly reduced) legal advice. If you call us, it will be confidential, but if I know which city you are calling from I can give you the local legal aid number. As for finding shelter, each shelter/organization has different regulations. We’d be happy to look up some numbers for you and make some calls to help you find a place to stay. Many shelters are concerned mainly with your safety—this means they will give you a place to stay, and then help you figure out how to make the transition to living on your own. It’s great that you are being so mature and trying to figure out the legal way to make this change in your life. We are here 24/7 and if you want to call us at 1800Runaway, we would be happy to try to figure out some more specific answers to your questions. Take care, NRS

[ccsmod15]

Can I apply for ssi while I am a runaway??

Hi, Thank you for reaching out to us at NRS. I’m sorry to hear that you are going through such a tough situation. It sounds like you have a lot going on. It must have been frightening to have such a bad experience in a foster home, and to have to be a runaway since then. We’re not legal experts here, so this answer is going to be fairly general. I’m not sure what the rules are about SSI. If you want to give us a call, we could provide you with the number for Legal Aid. Legal Aid offers free (or greatly reduced) legal advice. If you call us, it will be confidential, but if I know which city you are calling from I can give you the local legal aid number. As for finding shelter, each shelter/organization has different regulations. We’d be happy to look up some numbers for you and make some calls to help you find a place to stay. Many shelters are concerned mainly with your safety—this means they will give you a place to stay, and then help you figure out how to make the transition to living on your own. It’s great that you are being so mature and trying to figure out the legal way to make this change in your life. We are here 24/7 and if you want to call us at 1800Runaway, we would be happy to try to figure out some more specific answers to your questions. Take care, NRS

[Unregistered]

I am 17 and in foster care

Hi. Im in foster care in North Carolina. I have been moved 15 times within the last 3 years and I cant take it much longer. I have ran away once to another state but the cops found where my location was and brought me back. I turn 18 in 6 months. I want to runaway again, across state line. Is it illegal? And what is the probability of them making me return when i graduate high school in January?

[ccsmod1]

RE: I am 17 and in foster care

Hello
Thanks for contacting us at the National Runaway Safeline. Hope you find our response helpful.
We are sorry to hear that they have moved you around so much in the last couple months, it must be very frustrating for you to have to deal with this.
You said you want to run away. Here at the National Runaway Safeline we are not legal experts, but we can give you a general idea of how situations like these are usually handled. Since you are in foster care you are a ward of the state, this means that if you are to run away, the foster care agency can file a runaway report. Since you are a ward of the state, when a runaway report is filed, if the police find you, they can put you in a detention center, and then take you back to your foster care. If you want to get more accurate answers, you can contact your local police department, at their non-emergency phone number and ask them general questions about this.
We hope that this response was helpful, and remember you can always contact us at our Toll Free hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). And also check our live chat on our website www.1800runaway.org Our Live Chat is open every day from 4:30p to 11:30p CST. Again, thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.
Good luck!!

NRS

[Unregistered]

Moving in with mom

Tomorrow I turn 16, I want to move out of state with my mom, but my dad will not listen to me. I've tried talking to him about it but he keeps saying no. My dads girlfriend keeps harassing me and I feel like I don't get the respect I should. My mom is willing to take me in, but I don't want her to get charge with Kidnapping. I don't want to go to court and I can't wait until I am 18. should finish out the school year then move with her? I need help.

[ccsmod5]

re: Moving in with mom

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are going through a pretty tough time at this point in your life and we want you to know that we are her to listen and to help in the best way possible. From what you shared, it seems like home is a pretty stressful place for you and are hoping to leave home.

We want to start off by letting you know that we are not legal experts here, meaning that we are only able to speak in general terms. In most states, at 16, you would still be considered a minor, meaning that we are only able to speak in general terms. In most states, at 16, your guardian would be able to file a runaway report, if you were found, typically you would be forced to return home. Another factor you may want to keep in mind is that the person you are staying with could potentially be charged with harboring a runaway. The charges for that can vary from fines to jail time. In most states, at 16 you are able to file for emancipation. Another thing is, that your mother could potentially be able to file for custody. If these are things you would like to explore a bit further, please feel free to give us a call and we would be more than willing to point you in the right direction.

We hope that we were able to help you think a little more about your options and brainstorm some more with you, if you feel like you would still need some more support or go through some more options, please feel free to reach out to us here at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we are here 24/7. We also have a live chat service which is available from 4:30 PM to 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck in whatever it is you decide to do and hope to hear from you soon.

Stay strong,

NRS