Need to leave but is 17

[Unregistered]

I'm 17 years old and I live with my step mom and real dad. I am not treated with any respect. There has been in the past physical abuse, such as grabbing of the throat. I have tried to leave before but was physically stopped. I'm literally terrified of making any little mistake. There's not any physical abuse right now but a lot of unfair treatment, lack of respect, and verbal/emotional abuse. I will be 18 in a couple of months but would like to know if it is legal for me to leave home at 17. I live in texas. I don't know if I can wait til I'm 18.

[ccsmod5]

Re: Need to leave but is 17

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us. Sounds like you’ve had a rough relationship with your folks and you’re trying to find a way to leave home without getting in trouble. We’re glad you decided to think this through before moving forward.

If you did leave home, do you know where you’d go? Do you have any safe options if it came to that point? And as far as it being legal for you to leave, you’re at an age and in a state where it’s complicated. Texas is a state that sometimes allows 17 year olds to leave home. The only way to find out if that’s the case in your area is to call the local non-emergency police phone number. You can find that by going online and typing (city), TX Police Department. And there shouldn’t be any harm in calling, afterall, you’re just calling to inform yourself.

Do you have a plan if this doesn’t go as planned and it turns out that you can’t leave just yet? If you’d like to talk about what options are available to you (we may even be able to call the police for/with you), please call us at 1800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We’re anonymous, confidential and available 24/7.

We hope to hear from you soon,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Need to leave but is 17

I do have a place to go. And I was informed by a friend who as spoken to a cop about it(she was in a similar situation) who said at 17 it is legal but I'm still asking around to be a 100% sure. And if it is not possible for me to leave legal I will see about other options but will most likely just try to stay out of the way as much as possible until my 18th birthday. And I will be contacting my local police department about if its legal, thanks for that information.

[ccsmod8]

re: Need to leave but is 17

Thanks for following up. It's great that you have somewhere to go and that you are really trying to educate yourself before you make any final decisions. If there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to contact us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY.

Stay safe,
-NRS