I'm 17 and cannot find a stable way to move out.

[Guest]

I am a 16 year old girl. My abusive addict dad left three years ago and has removed all contact with me. My mom got with who was his best friend. He seemed nice at first but now he's very verbally abusive. Four of my younger sisters and mother dislike him. A lot. Mother has no education and no form of income. This is the only reason we are staying with him. My mom does not want me to leave because she does not want to be alone and does not trust or talk to people. Because of this i am unable to leave the house unless im going to school or my monthly infusions at the hospital. I live half a mile away from the nearest gas station and a lot further from any businesses. Walking is not an option due to my mother and the fact i have a physical disability. Mom will not let me ride a bike past said gas station. I have a permit but no one in my family is willing to teach me to drive and we do not have the gas money. In fact we do not have any money. Every dollar i get goes towards necessities or my mom takes it. I want to go to college but i can't figure out how to get scholarships or how any of it works since no one in my family has completed high school. I have a 3.7 gpa. I'm not able to join school clubs or sports or do community service. I cannot get a job. I cannot drive. I have no way to go to college. I have no willingly helpful family. I have no social skills or special abilities. I have no way to get income.

At 17 i want to move out. I cannot move in with a family member. In South Carolina it is legal to move out at 17. It is not legal to rent an apartment until 18. Any adults 18+ can be charged for harboring a runaway minor. Police can be involved if they feel the teen is in danger. This could include not having shelter or substantial income. I don't want police involved. I don't want drama. I don't want legal issues. Discussion with parents is not a choice. I want to continue school. Any advice?

[ccsmod6]

Hey there and thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It takes a lot of strength to reach out for help and we want to commend you for that. The situation you describe sounds immeasurably frustrating and difficult. With regards to your college situation, the best resource might be your school’s guidance counselor. They will know how to specifically help you with the application process and with finding scholarships or other academic opportunities. Unfortunately, any level of intervention or change may involve “drama”. If you want to know more about the abuse reporting process, what it might look like, and what potential consequences could be, Child Help, reachable at childhelp.org and 1 800 422 4453, is the national child abuse hotline and would be able to address those topics. Another resource that you may be interested in is the Job Corps, reachable at https://www.jobcorps.gov/. They provide driver’s ed and vocational education and training for a vast catalog of different professions. If we can help you with anything else, please do not hesitate to reach out to us on our 24/7 hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY or on chat at 1800runaway.org.