17 in FL how can I legally move out?

[Guest]

I'm..Not Really Sure about this But here goes something, My Name Is My I'm 17 years old turning 18 in literally two months from now, My Entire life I Spent it doing whatever my mom wanted me to do I raised my younger siblings growing up with a family of 11 I was the 7th child The middle, Whom everyone came to For everything. I didn't have any friends growing up besides one really because we would always continuously get kicked out and have to move and when we did settle my mom never wanted me to go out and hang out and meet new people yet she always complained when I stayed home and just stayed in my bedroom when I wasn't old enough to work, when I turned 14 I started working in secret at a gas station helping out for a little bit of cash whenever my mom was gone and it was just me and my four younger siblings I'd cook, clean and feed them on a daily basis, Time after time when it came to my me my mom never considered my feelings or what I wanted My siblings weren't much help either, my older sister hated me because her boyfriend who was in his 20s while I was 14-15 Liked me but he ended up trying to put the blame on me to save himself so my sister ended up believing him..and ended up mentally and physically abusing me or anything she could do to make my life a living hell, Hit me in my sleep, Or try to take my phone and invade my privacy her and my stepdad would say things how I would drop out of school and get pregnant or just continuously put me down..And no one really did anything you know..? I don't mean to Rant. My mom she would always say she forgot to get me food or things like such, She would always force things on me that I never want but I always ended up doing it for her my entire life I felt as if I lived it for her and not for me remembering when we became homeless and I had to sleep at train stations At a young age i learned not to depend nor ask for anything I didn't Really want Nor Need and the things I did want i'd work to get them on my own. if I'm being honest I'm just mentally and physically Tired of wishing I was dead because of the way I have to live isn't what I want when I work so hard for other ways. my Mom is selfish she can't realize that but then I think maybe she would if I was just gone, My little brother the one I raised he has down Syndrome.. He's part of a big reason why I haven't ran away or..pushed myself with my suicidal thoughts Because without me he would be heart broken to him and in his eyes I am his mom figure it's sad but true he sticks to me like the back of my hand, I was also currently working until my mom forced me to quit my job to move 3 hours away to a place I didn't want to come to.. Only to room with my older sister who's mentally exhausting to me but..before hand my brother used to cry and call me everyday while I was at work.. I told my mom I can move in with my friend while I keep my job because I indeed do love my job and the pay is great when I work hard enough but she would find any excuse to keep me around..but when I am around she's the entire reason I can't save any money for anything.. because Everytime she needs it I have to be the one to give it to her.. she won't let me leave until I'm 18 even if it's only two months away I'm exhausted and I rather live on the streets than put up with this for any longer..I'm sorry about the long Message.

[ccsmod16]

Hello, thank you for reaching and sharing what you’re going through with us.

We are sorry you’ve been through so much, and that you’ve had to experience homelessness and abuse from your family members which would be extremely hard on anyone. It sounds like you’ve had to be the adult in your family from a young age, which is a big burden for a child to carry.
Hearing about the personal sacrifices you’ve had to make to care for your siblings, especially your younger brother with Down Syndrome, is commendable and also unfair to you. He’s lucky to have such a caring and good sister that’s been able to support him. However, you deserve to have a say in the life you live, and it’s understandable that you are exhausted living with your mom given how much she makes you do things you don’t want to do. As bad as you may be feeling now, know that things can get better and that you deserve your life. You will not live with your mom forever, no matter how this plays out and you deserve your life to see how things will be better. If you are seriously thinking of dying by suicide, please call the suicide hotline (800-273-8255) https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ They have a lot of experience helping people like yourself who are feeling suicidal.

It’s great that you already have a job to support yourself and place to stay. However, if you do decide to not live your mom, your mom does have the option to file a runaway report with the police since you are technically a minor (even if only by a couple months in most states). The police could force you to return home, and although running away isn’t a crime, harboring a runaway is a misdemeanor. Something to think about for the person you are staying with. But we can talk this through with you and what your plan is, so we can see what options you may have. .

Please call us at 1-800-786-2929 or chat us through this website and we can help you think through these things. We work better when we can have a conversation with you and better understand your situation. We truly hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
NRS

[Guest]

I turn 17 in two months and I live in Florida. My mother has two CPS cases against her right now. She has been verbally abusive my whole life but recently she punched me in the face and I had a black eye. I thought I could finally get away from her but CPS put me back in the house with her and I’m defeated. I need to get out of this house and I don’t know how to do it I need help.

[ccsmod7]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out 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 sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed by things at home right now and you mentioned being harmed. We’re sorry you’re going through this. You don't deserve to be hurt in any way. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.

We are not legal experts but we can give you some general information about possible options you may be considering. Each state has different laws regarding their age of majority and when a person is no longer a minor. In the state of Florida that age is 18, so legally you may not be able to just leave from your guardians home unless you are emancipated. Emancipation is not an easy or straight forward process however and the laws surrounding it vary in each state. You mentioned already reaching out to CPS before but if you would like assistance and support reporting your situation to them again, we can assist you here at NRS. An additional resource you can explore is Child Help USA. They are an organization that helps protect minors from being harmed. 1-800-422-4453 www.childhelp.org

We would also like to make sure that if you consider leaving or running away you are aware that your parent may file a runaway report, which, depending on the laws in the area you live can have different outcomes so we cannot say for sure what would happen. There is a possibility that you could be picked up by police and returned home if you were to leave and run into law enforcement. One additional thing to know is that if you leave and stay with another adult, they could possibly be at risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. If you have specific questions about the laws in your area it is best to speak with your local law enforcement.

Often, having a safe space to share how you’re feeling may bring a variety of solutions previously not thought of. You are not alone in this. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time.

If you would like to talk more in detail please chat soon through our website www.1800runaway.org if you are unable to call in. We unfortunately cannot give advice as we are non-directive. You know your situation best.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Be safe,
NRS