wanting to leave home at 17 (missouri)

[Guest]

i am currently 16 years old and want to move out. i am an lgbt+ youth and my parents do not support me at all. i cant deal with that anymore. i already have pretty bad mental health; they just make it worse. i have somewhere safe to go as well. however it is out of the state. so here are my questions:
1. AT 17 would the police accept the runaway report if my parents were to file one?
2. the people i want to live with are in indiana. could he (my age) or his father get into trouble for helping me AT 17?
3. are there any other options for me AT 16? id much rather get out now but im aware they could get into a lot of trouble for helping me at 16 years old

[ccsmod16]

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’re having a hard time being supported at home and struggling to be comfortable being yourself. We’re so sorry to hear you are going through this, and want you to know that no one deserves to feel unsupported or unsafe at home. If you ever want to talk about the things you’re going through, the LGBT+ National Youth Talkline at 1-800-246-7743 is also there to support you.

Just so you know, we are not legal experts, but at 17 you are still considered a minor. If your parents were to file a runaway report then the police may follow through with it. It is up to the discretion of the local police department. We want you to be able to be safe somewhere. Unfortunately if the police did go get you, they could charge your friends’ parents with harboring a runaway.

Have you tried talking to your parents about staying somewhere else? One way to legally stay with your friend and his parent is to have your parents agree, and sign a paper, saying that you are allowed to be staying somewhere else. We do 3-way calling as well, which means that you could call in and we could call your parents together and talk through the options to make that conversation easier for you. If there are any adults you trust, talking with them could be helpful as well. There also is the option of emancipation at 16+ years old in Missouri. If that is something you’re interested in, or if you want to talk about other options, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 1-800-621-2929 and we can give you specific resources for your area.