17 year old wants to move out

[Guest]

Hi I am 17 years old I live in California and I have a baby and a good paying job I make about 2000 a month. I want to stay with my girlfriend which is 15 1/2 I will be 18 in 5 months and my girlfriend will be 16. My parents won’t let me stay the night to help my girlfriend with our baby. My parents tell me they will call the cops and have them take me home. But if I could prove I’m safe where I am could I stay? Or will my age prevent me from having a say

[ccsmod4]

Reply: Hi I am 17 years old I live in California

Hello,
Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.

Technically your parents could contact the police to attempt to report you as a runaway.
The police would have the option to take you home if you are reported as a runaway.
In some cases when the person is 17 and or just shy of turning 18 they could decide to consider doing a wellness check and contact your parents as to your whereabouts.
Though running away is not a crime aiding or harboring a known runaway is.
This could lead to that person or persons being charged with a crime.
To get specific information about leaving home legally at 17 you might consider contacting the local police department’s non-emergency number.

You can also contact our crisis line at 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) and we can reach out to them on your behalf. We would ask them about the runaway laws and what their procedure is for someone 17yrs of age. For example, Would they force a 17yr old to return home if they were in a safe location?
If you would like to talk more about your situation give NRS a call. We are here to listen and here to help.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

hello my name is Stephanie and i live in Ohio i will be 18 in September but i want to move in with my boyfriend because my father is always verbally abusing me for no reason would i be able to move in with my boyfriend and not be made to come back home because i cant take much more???? please help me

[ccsmod5]

Hi,
Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you’re in a difficult situation and no one ever deserves to be abused in any way. Since you are a minor, you would still technically need parental consent to leave home and live with your boyfriend. Your parents would still have the right to file a runaway report with the police and the police could still return you home. That being said, it’s possible that your local police would not bother pursuing you because of your age. To find out for certain (since we are not legal experts), you might want to call your local non-emergency police line to ask about their protocol for 17 year olds who leave home.
Thank you again for reaching out. We hope this was helpful and we encourage you to reach out by phone if you need additional resources or need help figuring out your options. Our number is 1-800-786-2929 and our lines are always open. If you have a moment, we'd appreciate your feedback of our crisis services at the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think

Stay safe!

[Guest]

can a 17 year old move out of the house at 17 in the state of Texas without a parent's permission

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

You mentioned wanting to leave your home before you are 18. We are not legal experts but generally speaking, if you leave while still 17, your parents could file a runaway report and you could be returned home. There could also be legal consequences for whomever you stay with for what is called harboring a minor. One thing you can do is reach out to your local police to inquire how they handle runaway reports for 17 year olds. Some cities and departments treat them differently because a 17 year old is so close to becoming a legal adult. Even within Texas, departments could handle them slightly differently. The way to get the most accurate information would be to call your local police non-emergency number and anonymously inquire about their practices. If you need help finding this number, we can be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929).

Best,

NRS

[Guest]

I’m 16 and live in South Carolina. I’m transgender and when I turn 17 and can legally leave home, I’m moving in with my friend who will be 20. This is because my mother, who I live with, is borderline abusive. She degrades me anytime I do anything to express the fact that I’m a guy and I only get one meal every one or two days because we have no food. I can’t report her because I will be sent to Georgia to live with my extremely religious grandparent and it’ll be even worse. So, the problem is that I turn 17 over the summer and I’m not sure how to register for school without my mother. Could I even do that legally? I have my social security card, birth certificate, and drivers license, so that stuff won’t be an issue, but will they get DSS involved do you think? I’m clueless with this kind of stuff.

[ccsmod6]

Hello thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We are here to listen and will help in any way we can.
It seems like your main concern is moving out at 17. Seems like you have done some research and have seem that it is legal to leave home at 17 in South Carolina. Possibly checking in on that information may be beneficial to your plan. While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions. We offer a conference call no our hotline that we can reach out to those agencies together to verify the information you know already. Great Job on coming prepared with the facts! You mention not having food in the house. You can call to our hotline at 1800-RUNAWAY and we can discuss some of your options like food banks in your area and things like that and possibly reach out to them. It’s great that you have all of your documentation and your goal is to enroll in school on your own. You should have no trouble with enrolling according to the McKinney-Vento Act. It gives you educational rights and protections for youth trying to enroll in school. Their hotline is 1800-308-2145. It is okay that you do not want to report your mom for the abuse. However, we want you to know you deserve more than that especially coming from your mother. When/if you are ready you can reach out to Child Help a child abuse reporting hotline at 1800-422-4453. If the degrading things your mother is doing is because of your trans-identity some helpful resources may be Trans-Lifeline at 1877-565-8860, or translifeline.org and the National LGBT Hotline at 1-888-843-4564 or glbthotline.org. Or you can call in and we can try reporting together on a conference call. Some things to check when going to live with someone may be talking with them about how living together may be as far as expectations for one another and boundaries may be beneficial.
Again, thank you for reaching out to the NRS. We wish you the very best. For further resources or assistance please call 1800-RUNAWAY or chat with us at 1800runaway.org.

[Guest]

I'm 17 and I graduated highschool, won't be 18 till October. My mom verbally abused me every single day and has been so negative about everything in her life and mine. It's really hard to live with because she won't let me walk away to cool down she will just keep on going. I'm looking to run away because I really can't take 3 more months of this. I know some people are just like get over it done prior have it worse it's only 3 more months but it's just making me weaker and weaker just living here and taking it. She won't let me get a job and she is abusing her authority over me. I understand I'm still her child but I don't want this life anymore. I just need to know can I get in trouble with the cops if I leave home?

[ccsmod11]

Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline and sharing a little bit about what is going. It takes a lot of courage to reach out and especially in a time where you have a really tough and complex situation.
We aren’t legal experts, but we have general knowledge about running away. In most states, running away isn’t illegal, but what is called a status offense. You can’t get arrested for it but it will mostly likely go on your record until you are 18. The police will only know if you have runaway if your parents/guardians file a police report. We can’t say for sure how the police will respond, but we hear a lot that police will take potential places you might be and will actively search for you. If they come across you, they may return you home to your parents since you are a minor, but you are in a grey area since you are so close to 18. Sometimes we hear that if you are staying with someone who is safe, and have reason to be there then they may not make you go back. It is good to be aware that there is something called harboring, which is a person who knows you are a runaway and are not actively trying to return you or finding shelter for you, your guardians/or police can press charges against the people who are housing you, with something that is called harboring. One of our main goals is to make sure you are safe, so if you ever seriously decide to run away and need shelter, resources, or a safe place to go you can find safe locations at nationalsafeplace.org or reach out to us directly and we can find local resources in your area.
We are here for you and will support you in anyway that we can. Please feel free to call into us directly as we can talk further about your situation and find resources that are best for you in your area. Stay strong and you are not alone in this! Our hotline ( 1-800-RUNAWAY) and chat are open 24/7.
-NRS

[Guest]

Hello I will be 17 in a few days I am wanting to know if it is possible for me to leave the state of Missouri. My mother kicked me out a year ago and I have been living with family that doesn't need me or want me around. I really could use advice on what I can do legally

[ccsmod6]

Hello thank you for contacting the NRS. We are here to listen and will do what we can to help.
We are not legal experts but in most states being under the age of 18 is considered a minor. This means that if your parent or legal guardian kicked you out that may be considered neglect. If you would like to report this neglect to CPS we can help you do so on a conference call or make the report for you if you call in and give us a bit more information. You can also report the neglect to Child Help a National Child Abuse Hotline at 1800-422-4453 or at www.childhelp.org.
Again we are not legal experts but your mother (or your legal guardian) may still be able to file a runaway report on you if she learns that you are planning on leaving the state and you are under the age of an adult legally. 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions. We are non-directive so we cannot offer you advice but we can talk through what you have been thinking as far as your options moving forward.
We are open 24/7, are confidential and are toll free. If you would like to talk further you can reach us by phone at 1800-RUNAWAY, or chat with us at 1800runaway.org. Stay Safe.
-NRS

[Guest]

Hi I'm averyim 17 I live in Illinois with my dad and I was wondering if I could move out and move over one state I'm in ilIllino and I want to move to Indiana to be with my girlfriend is there anyway I could do this please help

[Guest]

One of my parents basically just kicked me out they took my key to their house and they took my car. My other parent has kicked me out multiple times in the past but this time she says she is making me stay because it’s meaner this way. I’m 17 and I live in Alabama. I can’t contact my local police with my concerns bc my dad is a former cop and is friends with all the cops currently working at the station. I’m not really sure about the emotional abuse or if it really even is emotional abuse. I don’t know what to do.

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to NRS!

We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. It can be very frustrating not knowing what to do or what your next step might be from this point on. It’s brave of you to reach out during your time of need.

It sounds really stressful that your parents kicked you out of the house. That is against the law and considered neglect, if you wanted to report that. We can help you do so, we would need your parents’ names and your home address to report that. There’s also Child Help, they’re the National Child Abuse Hotline (800) 422-4453. Your safety is so important and you shouldn't have to live on the streets. We have a database of resources and we are more than happy to try to find you a place to stay.

Our safeline is open 24/7. We also have a chatting service via our website, unfortunately, it is not always open. The best way to contact us would be to call in and talk with our trained liners.

Be well, NRS

[Guest]

I'm 17 and a half, i live w my dad, but i want to live with either my boyfriend or my mom. but i want to know if i do, can my dad file me as a runaway? i'm turning 18 in january

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. From your email to us here, we can see that you have very similar questions to a lot of our callers and you’re looking for some answers. It seems like there must be a lot going on in your life, especially at home, if you’re thinking about leaving home. It’s great that you were able to find out some information about our hotline. Hopefully we can help.

As a minor (under the age of majority), you aren't able to leave home without your parents’ permission. We aren’t legal experts, but what generally what typically happens if a minor runs away, is that your parents would be able to make a runaway. You can’t be arrested for running away in some cases we’ve heard of police not taking runaway reports on youth who are close to turning 18 (like you). A good way to find out exactly what the police protocols are in your city, would be to reach out to your local non-emergency police. You can ask them hypothetical questions about running away. If you'd like, we can also look for legal aid resources. There are lawyers who help youth for free or for free, they would be able to brainstorm legal ways for you to move out early. If you'd like us to connect you with those resources please give us a call.

If you give us a call on our 24/7 fully confidential hotline, at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we could help answer some of those questions you have and could potentially help you brainstorm a solution to the issues you are having. We also have an online chat service available every night from 4:30-11:30PM CST that is available through our website (www.1800runaway.org) if you don’t feel like calling in to talk on the phone.

Best, NRS

[Guest]

hi.. i live in Texas and i want to run away but have no one to turn to and i dont know what to do. im getting verbally abused at home and its been happening for years... today was the last straw the things my father said to me were unbearable i really dont know what to do.. i really wanna run away im 17. i have a little sister i dont wanna leave.. please give me advise about what i should do... in plan on leaving tomorrow just need some advice..

[ccsmod4]

Reply: hi.. i live in Texas...

Hi there,
Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS).

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. You don't deserve to be abused in any way.
It is not your fault.
You have the right to want to be safe. So does your sister.
You have the right to file an abuse report with the state’s child protective services division. Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453 www.childhelp.org is an organization that helps protect minors from being harmed. It may also be a good place to explore options for staying with another family member or someone trustworthy as far as transferring custody.

You did a great job reaching out today.

Be safe and take care,
NRS

[Guest]

Hi, I’m Stef. I’m 16 and have a job and plan on getting an apartment with 2 other roommates when I turn 17. How old would I have to be to get an apartment and is it allowed in Texas. Me and my mom don’t get along and it’s toxic for my 3 year old sister. I plan on telling my mom but if she doesn’t let me, is it legal to just leave?

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. We are not legal experts, but we can tell you that because you are a minor, if you leave without your mom's permission and she files a runaway report, you could be returned home. There could also be legal consequences for whomever you stay with for what is called harboring a runaway. If you want a liner to help you walk through other options like us mediating a conference call between you and your mom to discuss you moving out, thinking through possible adults that you could turn to or could advocate for you, or things like emancipation and legal aid numbers, don't hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). Another option would be to reach out to your local police to inquire how they handle runaway reports for 17 year olds. Some cities and departments treat them differently because a 17 year old is so close to becoming a legal adult. The way to get the most accurate information would be to call your local police non-emergency number and anonymously inquire about their practices. We can also help you find this number if you give us a call.

Let us know how we can best help,

NRS