Leaving home at 16 in Texas

Hello i'm 16 Years old and i Just want leave home and go to my aunt house because in my house mom always sah bad words to me and something She hit me i leave home in one week ago and the police send me to home and they tell me than she can do IT and to be honest i dont want continúe living with her. I can go to my aunt house?

[ccsmod7]

Hi there, thanks for reaching out today for this young man. Sounds like he is going through so much with his mom and not having a place to go. We are so glad that he has you and your son as supports when he is lacking that at home.

We are not legal experts but we can speak generally. It could be seen as neglect by child protective services for the mom to put him out like that, so one option is reporting the abuse/neglect. The Texas abuse hotline number is 800-252-5400 if you are interested in reporting the mom.

As for school, there is a national law that states all homeless youth have a right to their education, and can enroll as a homeless minor. To get connected to the Texas homeless education liaison by calling the National Center for Homeless Education Helpline: 1-800-308-2145.

You might give him our information if he would like to call or chat us: 1-800-RUNAWAY; www.1800runaway.org. We can look to see if there are local homeless youth shelters in the area he could go to. We also could talk through his situation, provide support, and brainstorm his options with him. Thank you so much for being such a great advocate for him.

Best,

NRS

My son children has been knowing this young man for about four years and counting he is now 16 years of age and his mother has been putting him out for sometime now due to reasons. i don't ask any questions when I found out that he has been sleeping in my sons car in this hundred degree weather we stay in Texas. So, my heart was so heavy i allowed him to move in just because I would want someone to do my child that way. He's been wanting to go to school the mother enrolled him out of school he hasn't been going for most of this school year and she doesn't want to give me permission to enroll him. She said that i could get in trouble for allowing her son to stay with me and he is a minor but he refuses to go home and she has moved and don't want him knowing where she stay so he's here. and my son who is of age has been feeding him at one point sneaking him in the house to shower and just to get some air. I mean this is a child who turns there back and allow a child to sleep in a car that in your driveway What should I do

[ccsmod8]

Hello there –

Thanks for reaching out to us here on our public forum. Hopefully by helping you or giving you the support that you need, there are other’s that are reading this thread and looking for answers can also be helped. It sounds like you’re going through a very rough time and sort of stuck in a circle of self-doubt. You are certainly entitled to your feelings as they pertain to your mental health.

It’s great that you are thinking ahead and looking into what some options might be for you in terms of getting out of your home to be independent. What we know is that getting emancipated by the court is a process that does take a while and there might be some fees as well. There also needs to be proof that the youth is able to support him or herself on their own. Other requirements sometime indicate that they have had to have lived independently from their parents for a certain amount of time, wishes to be free from parental control, has an acceptable plan for independent living, and be able to manage their own financial affairs. So it doesn't look like there is going to be a fast track to getting emancipated or someone to send you paperwork because it does go through the court system and you will have to wait for a judge to see you and hear your case.

Now we do offer a service that is basically a Conference Call where the parent/guardian, the youth, and us would be on the phone talking about what has been going on. This way there can be a mediator in between keeping things calm and productive. If you’d feel more comfortable with doing that, just know that it’s always available. It might be a great way to talk about what you are going through and where this feelings might be coming from or come to some agreement that you might need to have someone that you can reach out to for help to address your mental health (ie. a counselor or therapist). Something constructive so that it certainly opens the lines of communication, but that services is completely up to you.

Only you know yourself when it’s time to leave home due to it being an unsafe situation and it sounds like you might some specific questions that you want to ask us or maybe find a place to vent about what you are feeling right now. It’s hard to talk to just anyone one about what has been going on. So please reach out to talk if you need some more support.

im 16 years old if i run away in the state of texas could i get arrested or what are the consequences of running away

I don’t wanna go alone. My home life is ok but my mom has mood swings and she often makes me depressed. I struggle with mental illness but my family thinks mental illness is an excuse and that it’s for petty people basically. I have no one to talk to in my family really. I wanna get emancipated but I doubt the court would let me. I’m trying to graduate early this year but I also just want to be free and away from it all. I’m tired of acting happy and like I’m fine

[ccsmod7]

Hi, thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are sorry to hear about what has been happening at home. Everyone deserves to feel safe with their family. Most importantly, we want to make sure you are safe in general, so please call 911 if you are actively suicidal or contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-372-8255 if you need less urgent support.

It also sounds like you are going through a lot personally dealing with your depression, anxiety, and self harm, as well as hiding your gender and sexual orientation. Some other resources that may help you include NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, by calling 1-800-950-NAMI, texting NAMI to 741741, or going to www.nami.org. You can also reach out to the Trevor Project, which is an LGBTQ Youth Suicide Lifeline, at 1-866-488-7386 or www.thetrevorproject.org or the LGBT National Youth Talkline at 1-800-246-7743.

Finally, in terms of the abuse you describe and are scared will escalate, if you are interested in learning more about or making a child abuse report, a good resource is Child Help (the National Child Abuse Hotline) at 1-800-422-4453 or www.childhelp.org.

Going back to your question, since you are a minor, you are supposed to live with your parents or legal guardians. If you do leave and stay with a friend, your parents could file a runaway report. This means that if the police find you, they will probably bring you home. We are not legal experts, so we can’t guarantee what would happen if you explain the abusive situation at home. However, you would not be arrested or have a criminal record for running away unless you commit another crime while you’re gone.

Please reach out to us anytime if you have more questions, need more options, or want help forming a safe plan. We have a 24/7 confidential crisis line at 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929) and an online chat service at www.1800runaway.org. Best of luck with everything and stay safe.

I'm 15 and I'm not turning 16 until next April. My home life is awful and im afraid that one day I'm going to start getting physically abused. My family already emotionally and mentally abuses me. They don't let me go out with friends or even leave the house by myself. They yell at me for everything and constantly tell me my depression and anxiety is fake. I've had several suicide attempts and I self harm. My family grounded me when they found out I self-harmed. I'm also bisexual and genderfluid and I know that they would abuse me or kick me out if they found out. I want to go and stay with a friend but I don't know what will happen if the police find me. I can't stay here any longer and I need to know how I can leave.

[ccsmod15]

Hi there, thanks for reaching out! It shows a lot of strength on your end for sure. You seem to be in a really tough situation with your pregnancy, fearing for yourself and your baby, and having to hide the pregnancy from everyone but your boyfriend's aunt.

We are concerned you mentioned fearing for your life. If you feel you are being abused, Child Help (1-800-422-4453, childhelp.org) can better define abuse, help you get custody transferred to a sage adult, and help you report if you want to. We are confidential and anonymous when you call us, but if you like, we can help you make an abuse report. Again, that is totally your decision!

For support in your pregnancy (emotional and medical support) you can reach out to Planned Parenthood (1-800-230-7526, plannedparentood.org) which can help you find a clinic for medical care near you, information, etc. Sexetc.com also has lots of good info on pregnancy, including how to talk to your parents. We also offer conference calling with parents if you would like some help in how to approach the topic with your mom.

To answer your question about moving in with your boyfriend's aunt, since you are considered a minor at 16 (and he is at 17 too in most states), the easiest way to leave is with your mom's permission. We understand that may be very difficult. If there is abuse and cause for safety, Child Protective Services may see it fit for you to live elsewhere, but there is no telling for sure what actions they would take if notified, unfortunately. Again, we can support you through that process if you so choose.
If you choose to leave without permission, your mom as your legal guardian could notify police and report you as a runaway; meaning if the police come into contact with you, they may take you back home.

You seem to be trying to do what is best for you and your baby for sure. We are here to support you no matter what decisions you choose to make. We can also offer shelter resources, more pregnancy resources, and support, in addition to the services we mentioned above.

Best of luck and reach out anytime by phone or live chat at the top of this page, We are 24/7: 1-800-786-2929.

I'm 16 and pregnant. My life at home is horrible in ways I cannot say. I fear for my life and that of my baby. I've been hidding my pregnancy from my mom, but will start showing soon. My boyfriend and I want to keep the baby and his aunt has agreed to help if we do things legally and still finish school. She's the only one we trust and have told about the pregnancy. He's almost 17. Can we choose to leave home to go live with her and keep our baby safe?

[ccsmod6]

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. While we are not legal experts, we do have a great deal of experience working with runaways. It is our understanding that it is not illegal to run away. You will not be arrested for it and you will not go to jail for it. If you do run away, your parents are entitled to file a runaway report on you because you are still a minor. This would allow the police to notify your guardians and return you home should they encounter you. Additionally, your parents would have the option to press charges against whomever you were staying with for “harboring a runaway”. This is typically considered a misdemeanor offense. If you have any further questions about running away or would like to talk more about your situation, please don’t hesitate to call us on our 24/7 hotline 1-800-786-2929 or chat us at 1800runaway.org.

Take care,
NRS

im 16 years old if i run away in the state of texas could i get arrested or what are the consequences of running away

[ccsmod15]

Thank you for reaching out! This sounds like a difficult situation, and it is admirable that you are helping out. If you cannot reach a compromise with her mother, then there may be shelter or transitional living options for her in your area. We would encourage her to call our toll-free 24/7 hotline where we can get a better idea of the situation and refer resources to her accordingly.

I have a 16 year old pregnant girl living in my home. Her mom will not allow her to come home. What can I do? I can not afford for her to live with me.

[ccsmod16]

Hi,

Thanks for contacting National Runaway Safeline. It seems like you are going through a difficult time right now and we commend you for reaching out for support. It must be difficult to live with someone who you feel is emotionally abusive and controlling. That must be really hard and we want you to know that we are here to support you. It may be beneficial to speak with both of your parents about you living with your father or with another person. At 16, you will need to have permission to not live with a parent or legal guardian by state law. This does not mean that you will necessarily be in any legal trouble should you choose to leave for safety reasons- as your health and wellness is most important – but, you would be at risk of having to return home to the parent responsible for your care if authorities are contacted.

We know it can be difficult to speak with parents we feel do not treat us well and we would be more than willing to assist you if you should need it. We do have a conference call service here where we can call a parent with you and talk through a matter. We also have a message service where you could leave a message for a parent and we can call out to that parent for you to deliver it if you would want to open up a line of communication about something with some help. In regards to your depression and anxiety, mental illness is something that can be hard to deal with alone especially when you have things going on that are really bothering you. It may be beneficial to contact an agency called NAMI to speak with a professional who is trained to speak with and assist people dealing with something like you are right now. They can be reached via phone by calling 1800-950-NAMI or by visiting their website www.nami.org.

As always, we are here to assist and should you need to talk further about things or discuss any options we can be reached at our 24/7 hotline 1800-RUNAWAY or you can chat with us, leave a forum post, or email us by visiting our website 1800runaway.org. We wish you the very best of luck.

I'm 16 and live on the coast of Texas, im being emotionally abused at home, and my mom and step dad are very controlling and not letting me do anything or see friends. I'm wondering if I can move in with my dad or with a friend at 16, because of my mom and step dad I'm depressed and have major anxiety, I think moving would help massively. Please let me know if I can get an attorney or some form of help and how to do it. Thanks