Missouri moving out at 17

[Guest]

I’m 16, going to be 17 in October, my living situation isn’t very stable, My boyfriend says I can come live with him when he gets his own place in June, but I want to have a stable income and get things situated better before I put that stress on him. Could I move out at 17 without parental consent if I have a stable income and living environment?

[ccsmod4]

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. In some states there are emancipation laws that can be one way of trying to gain your independence. We are not legal experts, but we can help you get a general sense of how emancipation works. Our general understanding is some states offer formal emancipation statutes while others do not unfortunately. Laws vary depending on your location, but in many states a minor can petition the court for emancipation to take responsibility for their own care before they turn 18.

Generally speaking, courts are wary about granting emancipation. In most cases, you would have to prove in court that you have an income and can care for yourself financially, and that you are able to live separately from your parents. It also helps to be in good standing at school. Usually your legal guardian would have to agree to this in court. It’s best to check your local court house to gain more information on this process.
Also you might check with your local police department to inquire about the runaway laws in your state or if someone that moves out of their parent or guardian’s home would without permission would be considered a runaway and forced to return home.

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 email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, 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 or seek emergency assistance immediately.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

My mom hit me in the face last night I am 17 years old I want to leave but don't want to go back to my dad. But at the same time, I am a big sister of an amazing 2-year-old sister. please tell me what I should do

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,

Thank you for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. It sounds like you may be going through a difficult time right now, and you are not alone we are here to help.
You do not deserve to be hit, and we are sorry you are dealing with that. If you feel this is abuse you can file an abuse report. There are a few ways you can file an abuse report. One option to consider is contacting Child Help, and they can help you with filing an abuse report. They can be reached at 1800-422-4453. You can also contact us and we can help you file an abuse report. If you are ever in immediate danger please call 911.
We know you mentioned wanting to run away, and we are not legal experts but we do have some information. If you were to leave home your legal guardian could file a runaway report. Because you are a minor, if the police were to find you they most likely would bring you home. Because you know your situation the best only you can decide if running away is the best option for you.
We hope that this information will be helpful to you in your situation. If you have any other questions or would like to explore more options please give us a call. We are here 24/7 to listen and to provide support. Best of luck!
NRS

[Guest]

I am 17 and I turn 18 in less than 5 months. My father wants me to be totally independent and to help take care of the house and bills on top of school and work. I have severe back issues so I am already physically pushed to my limits and he wants me to do more. He does not work or have any kind of income and is completely dependent on my grandmother to survive. He wants me to move back to my mother’s house (in another state 12 hours away). If I leave, I will lose all of the work I have made to get into college. Anything I buy belongs to him as well and I'm getting mad that there is no respect between us. We get into one sided verbal arguments once a week and he wants to take my car away. When I brought up the point that it’s in my name alone and I paid for half of it, he got mad saying that it is his car and I am only using it. He wants it back to sell for money to make up 800$ that I owe to him for monthly bills. I have been giving my entire paychecks to him, minus 20$ for gas to pay off those couple months of not working and the new bills for each month. It was originally 1300$ that I owed because he paid for some parts for the car. I keep nothing. All he does is sit around the house and yell at people for "being dumb assholes who think I’m a bad guy" and that I am” a lazy kid that doesn’t give a sh*t about anyone or thing". I just want to leave. My friends parents who lives next to my school has offered to let me bunk with my friend if I so wish. What should I do?

[ccsmod4]

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It sounds like you are trying to decide what to do about leaving home or staying. Though we can understand being frustrated by a situation it’s good that you are taking your time in making a decision. It does sound like a tough situation at home for you right now.

Basically the question you might ask of yourself is: Will leaving home away make my situation better or worse? You also might consider contacting the non-emergency number of your local police department to determine if you can leave home a few months before your 18th birthday and not be consider a runaway. Another option is to try to work out a payment plan for the car with your father as opposed to selling it. You might also look into if you can be forced into selling it if you are listed as owner on the title of the car.

We understand the challenges you face a difficult one’s. If you would like to speak more about your situation and explore these options or others, please contact NRS at 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) or www.1800runaway.org (Live chat).

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

Hello I’m 16 and I live with my mom in Missouri but she can be a little too much and I wanna move out as soon as I turn 17 which is in 5 mouths and I wanna live with my dad or step mom but if they try to come get me or if I leave she will call the police on me and my dad or step mom can’t really get involved with the police so what I wanna know is is it possible for me to live with them as soon as I turn 17 are do I have to wait until I’m 18?

[ccsmod13]

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting us here at NRS. It sounds like you are thinking about leaving, but you have some concerns about the possible consequences. While we are not legal experts, we can speak generally on this. If your mom has sole custody of you then she is your legal guardian until you turn 18. If you leave home without her permission before you turn 18, she can report you as a runaway to the police. Running away is not illegal but it is a status offense. This means she can ask police to return you home. Now, there is not a universal way that police respond to runaway reports. In some cases, police might be more lenient with someone who is close to turning 18. Police in your area would have the most specific information on how they handle runaway reports for someone who is 17 years old. You can anonymously call the local police department's non-emergency line to ask an officer about this.

We hope this information helps. We truly want to be a support for you as you decide on your next steps. We are available 24/7 to listen and help as much as possible. Please do not hesitate to reach out again by phone or chat if you would like to talk more in-depth about your situation and explore your options. You can contact us by phone at 1-800-786-2929 or use our live chat services at www.1800runaway.org.

Good luck,
NRS

[Guest]

I heard that at 17 you can move out without your parents consent in missouri. i wanted to know if that is true because i would want to move out when i turn 17.

[ccsmod8]

Hello there -

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline on our public forum. We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. It sounds like you're dealing with a lot at home with and you're thinking that the best way to deal with that would be to leave.

Now we aren't legal experts here and you might have already read on this forum thread about what could happen if you were to leave home before the age of majority. So we won’t get into that since you can find it fairly easily.

If you need to find a place to vent about what you are feeling right now, you can always call us. It’s hard to talk to just anyone one about what has been going on. Please rest assured that we are completing confidential. So anything that you share with us will stay between us. We don’t ask for any identifying information, unless you want to report any abuse. Please reach out via phone or even our online chat for more help.

Best of luck!

[Guest]

Im 17 is it illegal in missiouri for a 17 year old girl to move out of her parents house without their consent and move in with her sister as long as she gets a job and stays in school and can she take all of her belongings?

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us with your question. Eighteen years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you are 17 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. However, in that case there may be services (family counseling, etc.) available to you as a youth in crisis/runaway but again, police procedures related to offering those services can be different based on your location or the details of your situation. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway. One way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth.

We hope that clarifies the matter for you. If you'd like to talk more about the situation we are here for you 24/7 and are confidential. Our number is 1-800-RUNAWAY or you can chat with us via the chat feature on our website: www.1800runaway.org. We hope to hear from you soon.

All the best,
NRS

[Guest]

I need to know If I can move out at the age of 17. My "home" life sucks. My dad is one of the most manipulative people who is very narcissistic. He has threatened me on a few occasions, but he won't let me leave. Mom also won't let me leave. She's very hypocritical and twists everyones words around so that nothing is ever her fault. Mom and dad are constantly fighting. There fights have gotten physical multiple times for as long as i can remember. I'm so tired of constantly fighting with the (verbally) but they will NOT let me leave. I have somewhere to go, but because they don't like them they won't listen to me about it.

[ccsmod3]

Hey there. Thanks for reaching out to NRS. We know that it can take a lot of courage to reach out for support, and we're glad you took that step.

We're sorry to hear that things between you and your parents (and between your parents) have been so difficult. While it can definitely be frustrating to be in an environment that is negative and you're unhappy with, until you're 18, your parents do still get to determine where you're living. If their primary concern with you moving out early is around you staying with people they don't like, it might make sense for you to try and find someone else you can stay with that you'd all be okay with, at least until you're 18. Another friend or a family member could be alternative options.

Because it's your parents' responsibility to take care of you and ensure you're living in a safe space where your wellbeing is upheld, it might also make sense for you to file a report with CPS. While this doesn't necessarily mean you'll be removed from the home, it could help in addressing some of the domestic violence that's going on in the home. And assuming that some of the issues you're having with your parents stems from what sounds like a pretty toxic relationship between the two of them, this could also be helpful in changing the situation at hand for you. If this is something you're interested in doing, you can file a report yourself, by reaching out to us here at NRS, or by disclosing what's going on at home to a safe person (like a teacher, counselor, doctor, etc.).

Lastly, if you're ever concerned about the physical violence that's going on at home, contacting your local law enforcement agency is a good idea. They can provide immediate help, but also hopefully some long term supports as well.

If you'd like to chat in more detail about what's going on or continue to explore some of your options, please feel free to reach out to us directly by calling 1-800-RUNAWAY or by chatting with us live at www.1800runaway.org. We're available 24/7 and are always happy to listen, and to help.

Take care.

NRS

[Guest]

Hey I live in Missouri and my 17 is refusing to come home she is at my sister and she’s struggling with a eating disorder my sister is not being Cooperative with trying to get her help and is making it hard for me to help her they have called dhs on me now the case is closed and Not confirmed what are my rights how can I get my daughter home so she can go to a treatment center

[ccsmod15]

Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are here to listen and help as best as we can. It sounds like you are going through a really tough time not having your youth home and being unsure of their safety. They are lucky to have someone that cares so much about them.

One of the first options that can be important to explore is contacting your local law enforcement to file a runaway report. We are not legal experts here, but typically it is not illegal to runaway or leave home without permission. However, if a runaway report is filed, police that encounter a runaway youth will work to return them home when found. Keep in mind though, that the efforts made to search for runaway youth can vary from state to state or even within districts. Often it is up to the parents to advocate for themselves and keep track of the steps taken to find their youth.

If you have a way to communicate with your child either email, text, phone, or social media you can inform them that we are offer confidential 24/7 support. We can try to locate some resources that could be of assistance, wherever they are located, to help keep them safe. If you do not have contact with your child, we also offer a message service where parents can call us to leave a message for their child. If the youth calls in, we can deliver this message. We also take messages from youth to their parents that we deliver as well. This can be a great option for you to express yourself in a safe, productive, and non-confrontational way. If you choose to utilize our message service, we encourage you to spread the word to anyone you think may be in contact with your child to increase the chances of your message being retrieved.

[Guest]

I’m 17 with a 5 month old baby, and me and boyfriend want to get a place of our own, could I move out without parent consist?

[ccsmod5]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out, we hope to help as best we can. Although you have your baby, your parents are still your legal guardians until you turn 18. If you were to leave without their consent, they could file a runaway report for you. You could leave with their consent, and that would be okay, it would be considered an “alternative living arrangement”. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. However, in that case there may be services (family counseling, etc.) available to you as a youth in crisis/runaway but again, police procedures related to offering those services can be different based on your location or the details of your situation. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway. One way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth. If you would like to talk in more detail, please consider calling or chatting with us!

Stay safe,
NRS