18 but haven't graduated, can I leave home without consent

[Guest]

I am 18 and still in high school, and my parents want me to move out.
I was an exchange student my junior year, and my schooling while on exchange didn't count for credit. So when I returned I am having to do another junior year and a senior year. I am 18 and a junior, but now that I am 18, and even though I am still in high school my father constantly threatens to kick me out, or he is saying that he doesn't want me here. I have a little money saved up that I was going to use for college, which I could use to get my own place but then I wouldn't be able to afford college. And I don't want to drop out of high school, but it would be hard to stay. I don't know what to do. My parents are the ones who suggested that I take an extra year of high school instead of taking an online class while I was on exchange, but now they are saying that they want me gone. I would be able to stay with my grandmother, but she lives far away and I would have to drop out of high school.

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. We are here 24/7 to listen and to support.

It sounds like you are in a really difficult situation and are unsure of where to turn. If you give us a call at 1-800-786-2929 we would be able to talk through different options that you may have. Do you have friends or family in the area that you could stay with just until you finish high school? If not, there may be a Transitional Living Program in your area. TLP's are programs that provide housing and other services to young adults that don't have homes but also don't have the means to live on their own just yet. If you give us a call, we sould look up those or other shelters in your area. You could also possibly have your records sent to a new school if you wanted to live with your grandmother and thus would be transferring to a new school. You could ask a school counselor about that process or you could reach out to the National Center for Homeless Education at 1-800-308-2145 for the answers you need. Don't hesitate to reach out to them or us if you need support or other resources.

Best,

NRS

[Guest]

I’m 17 right now and I’ll be 18 in about six months. I’m going into my senior year this year and I love being around people outside of home. Anytime I’m at home because I don’t have work or cross country practice, my mom and my brothers are constantly bashing on me and what I do is never good enough. I’m not allowed to go on dates with my boyfriend who’s 18 because my parents don’t think he’s on “my level.” I hate being at home because I can never escape the negativity and my parents always hold me down. They went so far as to take all of my cash and my debit card until I turn 18, which has all of the money I make from work... I’ve honestly thought about moving out right after I graduate and I’m determined to leave this house as soon as possible but I don’t know how to figure out how I would afford it on such a small budget. I’ve had a friend’s mom offer to rent out a room for me. My boyfriend wants me to be able to be with him. Either way I go though I need to figure out how to earn better money and go to college without having to go back to my family. What are my options?

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out today. Sounds like you are going through a lot at home with your parents having strict rules and saying rough things to you. Here at NRS, we want you to know that despite what you might be hearing at home, you are enough. You deserve to be treated with respect.

We are not legal experts but we can speak generally. If you leave home with 6 months until you turn 18, your guardian can attempt to file you as a runaway with your local police. If police take the report and find you, they could return you home. Police sometimes have different protocol for older 17 year olds, so they best way to know how they would respond is to call your local non-emergency police number and ask hypothetical questions about your situation.

You might have some options depending on your situation. Please do not hesitate to call or chat us if you would like help brainstorming your options or if you are in need of local resources. We are here to listen, here to help.

Best,

NRS

[Guest]

Hi I have turned 18 living in Florida and still in high school am i able to move out even though I'm still in high school?

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to NRS!

We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. It can be very frustrating not knowing what to do or what your next step might be from this point on. It’s brave of you to reach out during your time of need.

We want to start off by letting you know that we are not legal experts. At 18 you’re considered a legal adult in the eyes of the law, regardless if you’re still in high school. That shouldn’t change the laws surrounding when you are no longer a minor. You’re able to your your local police stations non-emergency number and ask them hypothetical questions about their runaway laws as well. We’re able to call out to them with you through our conference calling service if you’re not comfortable calling on your own!

Our safeline is open 24/7. We also have a chatting service via our website, unfortunately, it is not always open. The best way to contact us would be to call in and talk with our trained liners. Unfortunately, we are non-directive at NRS, and can't give out advice, but we're always here to talk and listen.

Be well, NRS

[Guest]

I am 17 I will be 18 in April, I have No job and am not allowed to get one, i have No license and feel that i need one but i cannot take my test because i do not want it to expire I want to Live in Central Arkansas what do i do because i have to move out as soon as i turn 18 what types of apartments or opptions do i have Can you help me?

[ccsmod5]

Hi,
Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you’re in a tricky situation. It sounds like moving out at 18 will be difficult without a job. You might consider staying with a friend, another family member, or emergency shelter immediately after leaving home. That way, you have a safe place to sleep and live until you can find a job to pay for housing. Another option is to look into transitional living programs, which provide housing for up to 18 months and are designed for young adults to learn the ropes of adulthood and get on their feet. If you need help figuring out your next steps/options or would like help finding resources, please feel free to give us a call. Our number is 1-800-786-2929 and we are open 24/7. We wish you the best of luck. Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

I will be 18 in September of 2019 and I want to lave my parents house can I move out of State if I am still in school?

[ccsmod5]

Hi, thank you for reaching out. We aren’t legal experts, but in every state you must be at least 18 to leave home without parental consent. (The exception to this would be if you are emancipated.) If your parents give you permission, then there should be no issue. If you have further questions, feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Our number is 1-800-786-2929.
--NRS

[Guest]

Hi I’m 17 years old at the moment and will be 18 in about 6 months. I have a troublesome relationship with my mother, it’s hard to explain, she yells at me a lot and it is very tolling emotionally, I have put up with this my whole life but recently I’ve become much quicker tempered and withdrawn and it just makes her angrier, living at home has become a very toxic situation for myself and I think my family. Don’t get me wrong, I do love my mother and I don’t want to do any of this to hurt her, but I don’t think I can handle living at home anymore. My parents are divorced, and I have a good relationship with my father, but he is out of the country most of the time and I don’t want to live with my step mother. I have recently moved cities, when I lived back home it was a lot easier to deal with because I had a very strong support system of adults outside my family, at church, and with my friends. Since I moved I haven’t been able to handle it very well, even though I wasn’t handling it all that well before, and I’ve felt very lonely and stressed out recently. My question is can I move out at 18, go back to where I’m from, stay with a friend’s family until I go off to college, (assuming they agree of course) which will be a year, I am a junior at the moment and plan on finishing junior year at home until I am 18, and enroll myself in school without my parents’ consent?

[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. We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can.
Like you have probably seen in all of our post prior to yours, that we aren’t legal experts but what generally what typically happens in each state is if you are below the legal age of majority your parents would be able to make a runaway report in the event that you do run away. In most states, if you are 18 years old or older, you are considered an adult. Now considering the information above, since you are planning on leaving at 18 years old you would be considered a legal adult and can’t be forced home. Another thing is that your parents can’t file a runaway report with the police as you leaving home won't be considered "running away". You are simply just leaving home to live in another location.

Now if you haven’t told them where you are or have cut all communication with them, they can call the police still but to file a missing person’s report rather than a runaway report. It wouldn’t affect you at all though because they don’t normally come up on background checks. You can always go to the police and tell them that you aren’t missing. Again, as an adult, you have the right to decide where you live and your parents cannot force you to do anything. Alternatively, if you do cut out your parents completely you would be burning a bridge that you might not be able to cross back if things don’t work out for you at the place you plan on moving into.

We don’t know much about enrolling in school, but from what we do know that minors aren’t able to register for high school on their own without parental help. But once you are 18 years old you might be able to, since you are considered an adult. What might help you prepare is to reach out to a school that you are planning on going to and find out what you would need in order to enroll and what you might need from your old school would need to send through them (ie. transcripts). Another thing that you might want to think about is the fact that you have stated that you were going to go to college as well and in order to file for FASFA you will need to have your parent’s tax returns and/or their information to see if you qualify. Even though you might not have lived with them, it’s an unfortunate cost in order to get financial assistant for college and/or universities.

Hope that helps!

[Guest]

Hi I'm 18 and I live in Tennessee. and I want to move out with my boyfriend but I still in school. I have one semester left. Can I move out legally or is my mom still technically my legal guardian?

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for contacting us, it takes a lot of courage to reach out. We’re not legal experts here at NRS, but the age of majority (adulthood) in Tennessee is 18, which makes you a legal adult. This means that your mother is no longer your legal guardian. While moving out on your own is an exciting prospect, it should be noted that it can present some difficulties. It’s a good idea to have a plan in place. Some things to consider will be how you will pay for/secure necessities like housing, utilities, food, clothing, commuting.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

All the best,
NRS

[Guest]

So my girlfriend is 18 years old we have been together for three years and we dont like her parents after an incident we had with them trying to track her at my house and chase us while she was in my car they even went as far as lying to the police I just wanted to know if she could move in with me while she was still in high school we live in ohio the city is Columbus

[ccsmod2]

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). It sounds like you are wanting your girlfriend who is 18 years old to move in with you. Moving out is a big step with a lot of responsibility, if she would like to give us a call to discuss those steps, please don’t hesitate for either of you to reach out. We are not legal experts here, but you stated that she is 18, which means she is considered your own legal guardian on Columbus, Ohio. This means you are allowed to leave home if you wish.
Regarding still attending high school, it may be best to contact the school to find out if moving will change anything regarding her registration and enrollment. We also recommend reaching out to your local police department to see whether or not they would take a runaway report or how they handle situations like this.
We understand it takes a lot of courage to reach out for help and guidance. Thank you for posting today. It is very smart for you to be thinking ahead on what is best for you and what resources are available to you. Call or live chat us anytime: 1-800-RUNAWAY, 1800runaway.org.


We wish you the best,

NRS

[Guest]

I’m gonna turn 18 tomorrow and my mom said I can’t move out because I’m sill in school. I live in Fresno California and I was wondering if that was true?

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. We are not legal experts but we do have general knowledge of the laws. In California the legal age to leave home without parental consent is 18 years old. So even though you are still in school you can legally leave home without your parents’ permission.
We hope this answered your question. If you have any more questions please give us a call. We are here 24/7 to provide you with support.
NRS

[Guest]

Hi i just turned 18 February 28th i graduate in may 2019 and my boyfriend wants me to spend the night with him sometimes on the weekends but my mother wont let me and she says that until I graduate thats when her legal rights towards me wont matter anymore is that right in the state of Indiana and if I was to choose to stay with my boyfriend will the cops have me return back home.

[ccsmod9]

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. It might serve you well to ask them over the ono-emergency number since the Police would be the ones directly working on your case they would best know what is going on.
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

[Guest]

Hey I am 18 year old who are currently in foster care but my parents want me to move out by my graduation date which is in June I am not ready to move out yet I only been in foster care for 1 year what should I do in that case.

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for contacting us, it takes a lot of courage to reach out and share your story. We aren't legal experts here at NRS, but generally speaking, if you are already considered a ward of the state/in the foster care system, you have the option of continuing on until you are 21 (if you wish). That being said, that does not necessarily mean you would be placed with your parents. Since every situation is different and each state has its own laws, it would be a good idea to reach out to your caseworker or local CPS office directly.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

All the best,
NRS

[Guest]

Hey I live in the state of Tennessee I’m 17 I’ll be 18 in 3 months, I’m still a Junior In high school. When I turn 18 can I move in with my friend? Or since that I’m still in school would that effect anything, In my house it’s a lot of verbal abuse and I just can’t handle it. So that’s why I wasn’t wondering if I could move out when I turn 18 because my parents say I can’t move out because I’m still in high school.

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for contacting The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to listen and here to help. We are sorry you are going through a lot of verbal abuse you do not deserve to be treated like that. If you ever wish to make an abuse report you can contact Child Help at 1800-422-4453, and they can help with making a report. We are not legal experts but we do have general knowledge of the laws. One you turn 18 you can legally leave home without permission. If you are still attending school you are still allowed to leave but you will still need to be attending school. If you are not attending school you could get in trouble with truancy.
We hope this information will be helpful to you in your situation. If you have any other questions please give us a call we are here 24/7 to listen and provide support. We wish you the best of luck!
NRS

[Guest]

Hi I live in Florida and my son’s girlfriend who is 15 got kicked out of her house and has been staying with me for 5 months. Her mother said it was temporarily until she could find a place where they could live, that’s never happened she’s abandoned her never calls. She gets child support and never offers any to her daughter I’m thinking its child support meant for her child which has not lived with her for 5 months also collects food stamps for her daughter but she never gives any to her daughter for food .I’ve taken her in and payed for everything for food rent electric shoes underwear socks etc. my question is can I get in trouble for letting her stay at my house??? How can I get her to pay me for her daughter???? Do I report her to child support??? Do I report her for abandonment??? How can her mother throw her out at 15 and not be financially responsible??

[ccsmod4]

Reply: Hi i live in florida and my sons girlfriend...


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 is so very good of you to take in this 15yr old girl after her mother put her out. You have every right to file a child abuse report for neglect since it seems the mother has abandoned her daughter.
To do so contact Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453
You might also consider seeking legal advice from a lawyer about yours and the child’s options.
She is fortunate to have you provide some stability for her through what must be a difficult time emotionally.

NRS is here to listen and here to help.
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).
We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Take care,
NRS


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