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