running away to another state

[ccsmod15]

Hello! Thank you for contacting NRS. We are sorry to hear that you are having a difficult time at home. We are here to support you as best we can.



We are not legal experts but can provide some information for you to keep in mind. Since you are a minor, you need your parent or guardian’s permission to leave home. If you run away, they can file a runaway report with the police. This would mean that anyone you stay with (like your girlfriend’s mom) could get into legal trouble for harboring a runaway. If you found at your girlfriend’s house, they would potentially take you back home.



Would you be willing to talk with a trusted adult about your home situation? This could be a teacher, counselor, or other family member. It’s possible that they can also support you during this challenging time.



We hope this helps! We are available 24/7 by phone (1-800-786-2929) and Live Chat (https://www.1800runaway.org) if you would like to contact us and discuss this further.
NRS

Hello I am 15 and I was thinking about runaway for a while now and I want to get to my girlfriend’s location and her mom agrees to take me in although i don’t want to say where and I don’t know how to get there or if I’m able to with 19 dollars and I just seriously need to get there and get away from my location because I really hate my life here now

[ccsmod16]

Hi,
Thanks for reaching out; we are glad that you did. It sounds like you are in a really stressful situation with a lot to deal with and a lot to worry about.
We are very sorry that your mom is verbally abusive and that you are afraid of her, but we are glad that you have your grandparents for support and that they believe you. It's understandable to feel very worried about her moving you out of the country, but the more immediate concern is how she treats you and about the thoughts of hurting yourself.
We help people best when we can have a conversation with them, so we hope you will reach out to our live chat via this website, or call our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929). You don't deserve to be treated this way and we truly hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
NRS

i plan to run away within the next 1-2 years. i just turned 14 and will be 15 or possibly still 14 by the time i run away. i am living in america. my mom thinks it is a horrible place and she wants to move to paraguay and costa rica. i have heard countless horrible things about these places and how differently i will be treated as a woman. we have a nice life here and i love my home. but my mom is crazy. she wants to move because she thinks america is gonna get bombed. she is also trying to escape from her ex bf who wants custody of her child. she thinks leaving america is a good idea. my mom is verbally abusive and has ruined my mental health. i am afraid of her. i am even afraid of sitting alone in a room with her. she used to body shame me and occasionally screams curse words at me. she used to smack me in the head. i do not want to move to either of those place because i dont want to leave behind my friends. i am not planning on running away just because i hate my mom. my sister even agreed on how horrible my mom is. she too wants to run away. my friend and has offered to take me in and live with them in another state. i know its bad but even my grandmother told me that i might have to run away because of how bad things are for me. i think she is going to help me. i know i could get in a lot of trouble for being caught, so could my grandparents and friends. but i can not live in another country with my mom. she also plans to live there with her ex husband who has a son that sexually assaulted me and nearly killed me when i was 2. i think she is insane. she makes me have bad thoughts about hurting myself. i have acted on them too. please help.

[ccsmod15]

Hi there! Thanks for reaching out to us at NRS. We're here to support you 24/7 and glad you contacted us for support.

We understand what you're considering and that you have the support of a friend. It's good to be thinking ahead to Virginia, and you seem concerned about what might happen once you're there. If you're running away and you're younger than 18, your parents could file a runaway report to ask the authorities for help in finding you safely. Crossing state lines could complicate the search, but they might still file the report.

If you'd like to talk through it more we're here to help by chat (1800runaway.org) or call (1-800-RUNAWAY) and we can help you and your friend figure out what to do. Hope to hear from you soon.

Hi! I'm Avery, and me and my friend want to run away together to a different state, were thinking of going from North Carolina to Virginia, but what should I bring and what should I do about that and not getting caught? and what do I do once me and my friend are in Virginia?

[ccsmod2]

[11:44 AM] Hannah Clague
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 with your mom. It seems there is a lot that you are faced with right now with your mom getting physical and kicking you out, and you’re feeling like leaving is one of your only options. It seems you want to know some information on running away.  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.  You also asked about getting a plane ticket. A 15 year old can purchase a ticket online but TSA will require a guardian or a guardian permission slip be filled out and signed beforehand. In terms of leaving your house, there are places where you can go to stay. These places include a youth homeless shelter or a transitional living program. These places do not require you to have money saved up, and may also be in a local area. If you are interested in finding out more about these places feel free to call our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (24 Hour Hotline), or United Way 2-1-1.We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email to assist you. 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). 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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National Runaway Safeline | National Runaway Safeline
Call 1-800-RUNAWAY if you are thinking of running from home, if you have a friend who has runaway, or if you are a runaway ready to go home.

hey i’m not gonna say my name but a few nights ago my mom got very physical and she kicked me out i went to my friends house in a different city and stayed 3 nights there. got a call from my grandpa saying mom tried to kill herself. she would answer me or anyone else’s phone calls so i got very worried i went to the apartment with a bunch of cops and she was absolutely fine we found this out after hours of tryna get a hold of her. she then says to me my boyfriend alone that she never laid a finger on me and she said to the cops that i’m the abusive one. i want to run away to texas i’m in arizona. how do i go about getting a plane ticket and everything i’m 15 can i fly alone with no trouble? it’s either live with my bipolar mother or dcfs so i’m choosing neither

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us! It sounds like you’re going through a really tough time, and we can understand why you’re feeling the need to run away. Unfortunately we can’t give you directions on how to travel to a different state. We do want to remind you that leaving home without an ID could put you at a higher risk of kidnapping or abuse, and could possibly make getting you out of that situation to someplace safe more difficult.

We’d be happy to discuss more options to help ensure your safety if you’d like. Please feel free to reach out to us at 1(800) RUNAWAY, or you can chat with one of our crisis counselors online at 1800runaway.org. Take care, and we hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,

NRS

hello I'm ****, i plan on running away to my girlfriend because i live in an abusive household and i just cannot handle it anymore, i´m 15 soon to be 16 and my girlfriend is 16, she lives in texas and i really only have one question since i live in arizona how can i get to texas without an ID?

[ccsmod9]

Here's the forum reply Thank for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. That’s a difficult situation to be in regardless if you’re being physically or verbally abused or if you’re watching a loved one being physically or verbally abused. Nobody deserves to be treated in that way. It’s great that you are being supportive of your friend in her time of need. It was mentioned that you and your friend wanted to runaway to California. Since you’re under the age of 18, your parents can file a runaway child report with the police. Once the police find you, they will take you back home. One option is to file an abuse report with an organization called Child Help (www.childhelp.org /1-800-422-4453) or with us at NRS. We are here to support you. We are open 24/7 if you need additional support. Please feel free to call at 1-800-RUNAWAY 24 or chat with us online by going to www.1800RUNAWAY.org.

Hi my name is skye
I’m 13 years old and me and my friend are trying to runaway she’s going verbally abused her whole life and we were trying to find a way to get to California from Arizona. How can we get there all transportation sites need a guardian or an adult with you. What do we do pls help

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline! We want to commend you on your courage for reaching out, it takes a lot of bravery to reach out for help. We also want to say that it sounds like you have a great support system in your partner, you are lucky to have one another’s shoulders to lean on during this time.


Generally speaking, running away is not illegal and is considered a status offense, like buying cigarettes. If you are under the legal age of 18, your parents have the right to file a runaway report to the police. If the police were to search for runaway youth and find the runaway youth, they can return you to your legal guardians. Also anyone that you would be staying with would be charged with harboring a runaway. Harboring a runaway is a charge that can be filed against individual(s) who provide assistance or aid to runaways. We are not sure where you started from and where you are going, it is worth saying that once you cross state lines it is likely for police to follow up on a runaway report, especially if you are 18, a legal adult in most states. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid in your local area may better answer legal questions on this subject.

It sounds like you and your partner have thought a lot of things through already, which is great! Having a plan for where you will live and how you will survive once you move out can be very helpful. If you have any additional questions regarding meeting any other needs for living on your own, we are happy to listen and help however we can!


We are available by 24/7 by phone at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or through live chat at 1800runaway.org if you would like to talk more about your plans or if you are interested in any resources. We wish you the best of luck!

NRS

Hello I am Matt means my partner are running away to (I can't say) and we are in Michigan right now we under age.. But in two years I will be eighteen and I have savings and money to at least get me through the first 8 weeks and I already have a job waiting for me and so does my lover.We have been planning for five years and not told anyone but each other. I know we will do it next year and we have a car a day and a place to stay..I have a few concerns I know the police won't look that far for us and were staying away from highways and stuff and nobody will find us but I'm worried about if we are caught will me and my partner get in trouble? if we can last at least a year will they give up? We already have a plan to change how we look and are parents call us by names we don't want to be called so are names are changing to. We can be off the grid for that long and I know we can do it but once we are 18 can they still arrest us? The people we are going to have pulled it off but still live off the grid and don't have ID or anything I'm scared for me and my family. Please someone answers my questions. Or let me know any other concern they have for me.

[ccsmod15]

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. It seems there is a lot that you are faced with right now and you’re feeling like leaving is one of your only options. It seems you want to know some information on runaway laws.
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 are here as support to help through this challenging time. It sounds like you’re fearing that the situation may end in suicide if things don’t change. Your safety and well-being is important. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255); www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org is also a great resource to reach out to in addition to our crisis services.

Often, having a safe space to share how you’re feeling may bring a variety of solutions previously not thought of. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. This may be an isolating and lonely time for you, but you are not alone in this. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time..

We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by forum to assist you. 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).
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