Leaving home at 17 in Louisiana

[Unregistered]

leaving home at 17

Hello. I'm 16 years old with a 17 month old baby. Ive made a lot of mistakes in the past, like getting pregnant at 14 and sneaking out and skipping school. But I did it all because of peer pressure at school. I used to do extremely good in school and was also considered the teachers pet. But I got picked on all the time because of it. Now my parents let me do nothing and go nowhere. I left to go stay at my boyfriends house because my mom was always putting me down and saying I'm the reason for all of their problem. I'm the reason she's over weight and so unhealthy she can barely walk. I'm the reason they are broke all the time because they help support my child. She was always telling me to get out so finally I did. She told me to leave so I finally got the nerve to. Then when I left she called the law saying I told them I was leaving. They came to his house telling me that I had to go home or they were taking me to a juvenile detention so I went home. They treated me like crap when I came back home. Told me I was no longer their daughter. Ignored me for months. I want to leave as soon as possible. They said when I leave I can only take the clothes on my back nothing else. They said that everything else of mine belonged to them even the stuff that was given to me by someone else. Can they do that? Can I leave to live with my boyfriend and his parents with my baby who is willing to take care of me at 17? I also live in the state of Louisiana.

[ccsmod4]

Leaving home at 17

Hello,

Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.

It sounds like you have been going through a difficult time at home with your parents.
It can’t be easy raising a baby under such stressful circumstances but it does sound like you have some support from your boyfriend. No one deserves to be mistreated and it is not your fault that your mother is having issues with her health. You should not be blamed for their struggles financially.

You may be eligible for some state assistance with providing needs to you and your baby for health care, milk and food programs.
Have you looked into any programs such as S.N.A.P.S.? (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or click on the link below to see how you can apply.
https://cafe-cp.dcfs.la.gov/selfservice/#

It seems that you have already had some communication from the police about the legal status of your leaving home before. They may be the ones to speak with about legally being able to leave home once you turn seventeen.
You might consider asking:
*At what age is a youth no longer considered a runaway?
*If a 17 y/o leaves home without permission, do you still take a runaway report?
*If yes: what happens if/when that youth is found?

You should be aware the age of adulthood in Louisiana is eighteen.
In the matter of your possessions since we are not legal experts this may be something you might consider contacting a legal aid source in your area about.

You welcome to contact 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) or www.1800Runaway.org NRS live chat to look for legal resources in your area.
How does that sound?

We hope that your situation get better for you and that you are able to obtain the information you are looking for.
Good luck and take care,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Suicide and depression

I am 16 now but I will turn 17 soon. I'm extremely suicidal and very depressed. The household I am living in is not one that helps either. My family makes my conditions worse normally. I live in louisiana. Much research has told me I can move out at 17 with no restrictions but I want this confirmed.

[ccsmod9]

RE: Suicide and depression

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to us. Sorry to hear about how you are depressed and suicidal. That must be incredibly difficult for you. If you need help regarding depression or suicide you can contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). We aren’t legal experts but we can speak generally. Typically since you are still a minor your guardian would have say over where you stayed. If you think that this is not the case the best way to find out may be to contact your local non-emergency police line and ask if it is legal to leave at 17 and if not how they pursue runaway reports. It may also be worth thinking about how you will stay safe and where you would go if you do leave. You can always call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY if you are trying to figure out somewhere safe to go or if you just want to talk. We hope to hear from you soon. Stay strong and good luck.
NRS

[Unregistered]

I

I am 16 now but I will turn 17 soon. I'm extremely suicidal and very depressed. The household I am living in is not one that helps either. My family makes my conditions worse normally. I live in louisiana. Much research has told me I can move out at 17 with no restrictions but I want this confirmed.

have the same problem but my mom keeps saying that i'll get arrested if I do. I need answers and I need them fast. My mother keeps hitting me and calling me names. I need to get out

[ccsmod4]

Hello,
Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.

It sounds like you have a serious concern for your safety.
You do not deserve to be abused in any way. You are very brave to reach out for help, good for you.
Each situation is different and it would be unfair to you for us to guess at what might happen in your particular situation. There are laws that are in place to protect you against any form of child abuse.

What were you hoping we might do for you in the case of your situation?

If alternative housing is something you are interested in you might consider if there is a relative that might give you safe harbor or report any abuse.
NRS is a mandated reporting agency which means we can advocate for you by filing an abuse report with your state and county child protective services.

How does that sound?

Give us a call at 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) or visit www.1800Runaway.org (NRS live chat).

We hope to hear from you soon and wish you good luck.
Take Care,
NRS

[Unregistered]

im turning 17 and want to leave home

hi i am turning 17 in apirl and i live in louisiana and i want to leave and go live with one of my good friends because icant live here anymore! so my question if if i leave can my paernts call the cops do i have to go back home? i love my parents and i know that they want the best for me but they never let me go anywhere and firday i left and didnt come home till sunday and they took me to juv. hall then i was almost sent to brent wood and i told my mom where i was at all times so yeah im going to leave can anyone help me?

[ccsmod14]

Re: im turning 17 and want to leave home

Hi there,

If you have contacted NRS today through another means (for example, live chat, email or bulletin) for the same issue, it would be helpful to let us know that you have already contacted us. NRS understands it takes courage to reach out for help; therefore, we would like to minimize the need for you to repeat your situation and avoid offering you duplicate services.

Thanks,
NRS

[Hopeful]

confuse and conserened

I am 16 and my family is trying to keep me around as a standing block...
I really want to leave and my birthday is next week on Oct.1 on a Thursday.
I'm tired of playing mom at my house and taking on responsibility that belongs to my mother.
She blames me if the kids don't aka my siblings,if they don't get dressed or theres no cleaning supplys in the house.
personally I don't feel thos are my responsibilities I try my hardest to get what ever I can to help out but shes taking it to far.
and talking about calling the police on me if I try to leave after my birthday what do I do?

[ccsmod5]

re: confuse and conserened

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 seems like you are tired of the way that you are being treated and are pretty set on leaving home.

There are some things you might want to consider thinking of before leaving:

What else can I do to improve my home situation before I leave?
What would make me stay at home?
How will I survive?
Is running away safe?
Who can I count on to help me?
Have I given this enough thought?
What are my other options?
If I end up in trouble, who will I call?
When I return home, what will happen?

We want to let you know that we are not legal experts here, which means that we are only able to speak in general terms about what could happen if you were to leave. In most states, at 17, you are still considered a minor. If you were to leave home without parental consent, your parents would be able to file a runaway report, if you were found, typically you would be forced to return home. There is also another factor that you might want to keep in mind, in most states, the people you are staying with could potentially be charged with harboring a minor. If you would want to know more accurately about what would happen, we would encourage you to reach out to your local police department. If this is something that might make you nervous and would not want to reach out on your own, you are able to give us a call and we would be able to make that call for you.

We hope that we are able to give you some general information about what we do and how we could help. Please remember that our hotline is available 24/7 and could be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a live chat program that is available every day from 4:30 PM until 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck and hope to get your call or chat soon.

Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Moving out at 17 in Louisiana

OK so I just turned 16 in June. I live with my extremely religious grandparents who are long story short destroying my happiness. I'm wondering if at 17 I can move in with my mom without having to deal with a court case.

[ccsmod5]

re: Moving out at 17 in Louisiana

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 home and are ready to be on your own.

We want to let you know that we are not legal experts here which means that we are only able to speak in general terms. In most states, because you are still considered a minor at 17, you would need to have parental or guardian consent in order to live elsewhere. This also means that you might need to go through some type of court system or through a lawyer. As we mentioned, we are not legal experts here, but if you would like to talk to one, please feel free to reach out to us and we would be able to provide you with a legal aid in your area.

We hope that we are able to give you some general information about what we do and how we could help. Please remember that our hotline is available 24/7 and could be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a live chat program that is available every day from 4:30 PM until 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck and hope to get your call or chat soon.

Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

17, Foster child, on runaway

I just turned 17 in September, Im in Foster care in Louisiana, my case says I can't go back to my parents, all they send me to is detention homes and shelters, while on runaway I had got caught by the police with drugs, it was my first offense and they let me go, I ran away again and I got a Cal from one of my friends with close connections to the police, they said since I went to jail and I'm a Foster child I'm considered a adult in the states eyes, I just wanna make sure this is true, I want to emanicpated , my social worker says she sees that I can take care of myself because I've been running away for the past year and a half, I need a real awsner, ????

[ccsmod2]

re: 17, Foster child, on runaway

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to us. We aren't legal experts and we are non-directive here so anything you decide is ultimately up to you. It’s hard to say whether or not you are considered an adult to the state. Usually if a runaway report is made, a youth who is considered a minor would be taken back to their legal guardian if they come in contact with the police. Sometimes though, the police may not do anything if you are close to 18, especially since you are in foster care. It really depends on the discretion of the police officers in your area. You could call the non-emergency number to confirm what exactly could happen if you have any further questions.

As far as being able to be emancipated, there is a process and some guidelines for doing so in the state of Louisiana. A youth who wants to apply for emancipation could do so one of three ways: by their parents giving permission (which wouldn’t apply in your case), marriage, or by a judge. Usually if you are looking to become emancipated it takes some time to go through the process. But you should reach out to any local legal aid resource in your area for more information on the specific steps.

If you need to, you can always contact us directly at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We can talk about any possible options that you are thinking about. Lastly, please note that we offer a live chat via our website at www.1800runaway.org every day from 4:30p to 11:30p CST.

Best,

NRS

[Unregistered]

I just turned 17 in September, Im in Foster care in Louisiana, my case says I can't go back to my parents, all they send me to is detention homes and shelters, while on runaway I had got caught by the police with drugs, it was my first offense and they let me go, I ran away again and I got a Cal from one of my friends with close connections to the police, they said since I went to jail and I'm a Foster child I'm considered a adult in the states eyes, I just wanna make sure this is true, I want to emanicpated , my social worker says she sees that I can take care of myself because I've been running away for the past year and a half, I need a real awsner, ????

How is Foster Care like? I currently attend Dutchtown High school as a senior and im trying to get out of this household. I can't take the pressure anymore, anything i do its never satisfying to my aunt. My mother passed in 2013 from stomach cancer and my oldest brother is incarcerated. My plans are to attend the Army AS SOON AS I GRADUATE. So basically i need only a place to stay momentarily for 6 months.