OUT

[Guest]

I turn 17 in a month.
I live in SC which says you can leave home at 17, without being considered a runaway.
The only problem is I need to acquire housing. I have friends who can help at first but I don't want to be a freeloader.
I can easily find employment, I just need to be able to find housing.
If I am under 18 can I still get housing?

[ccsmod8]

Re: OUT

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Switchboard and we hope to continue to provide you with resources in order to make your life easier. We are aware that in some instances, 17 can mean freedom from having the deal with the police coming to take you home since there is a fine line between leaving home at 17 and turning 18. However, we tend to recommend that you still call the police to verify that you are going to be left alone once you leave because in some instances parents have been known to still file reports on children to avoid getting charged on neglect if something happened to you while you were gone. However, it is not likely to be the case for you since you know for sure that it is okay for you to leave home at this age.

In terms of shelters, we can help you locate shelters, if there are any, in your hometown or any other place for that matter. We have a massive database to help you find shelters. You are welcome to call us or let us know in the post the city you live in for us to help locate shelters for you. You are likely to get into a shelter but you are going to need parental consent or notification in some instances. The reason for this is that shelters cannot harbor you just as friends cannot in some cases even when you are 17 because generally, you have to be 18 to leave home without permission. If you are looking for someone to advocate on your behalf and get you to find a place, please call us at 1800RUNAWAY 24 hours a day or write to us to let us know how we can help. We look forward to hearing from you. Good luck until then.

-NRS