Help?

[Guest]

I turn 18 in 13 days. I haven’t stayed steadily at home for likely close to 2/2 1/2 months..my father went 14 days without seeing me face to face (and 5 days prior To me coming home and spending a single night), multiple days without even contacting me and 9 without trying to contact me VIA cellphone calls. When I’m home I’m mostly home alone. It’s dirty, he’s paid me to make his living space “livable” there’s drug paraphernalia in our house along with sex toys/fixtures that’re all left either in the open or to where anyone could find it without effort. I feel depressed and unmotivated leaving me to also struggle to clean and live in a routine when I’m there. I’ve been gone and in a good place, safe, and making money. I’m happy and genuinely thriving but he texts me every often and says he wants me home. I don’t want to go home anymore. I feel safer and happier away. There have been CPS reports and it goes nowhere and we get left there. I feel lost when it comes to getting help legally but im afraid he’ll seek legal help: I don’t get why I’d be made to go back, it’s unsafe, he’s got arrested for a DUI within the last year and drug charges within the last 10& the house is clearly unsafe..I just want to finally be done and I’m so close but i feel like he’s gonna steal me back and make me come home for the two weeks..which may not sound that bad but Im so much happier away from there.

[ccsmod3]

Hi there, thank you for reaching out. It sounds like you are not wanting to be at home with your dad with how he treats you and that it never seems like he is home. It also does not sound like he is a safe person to stay with considering his history with drug charges and a DUI. Also we are happy that you have been staying somewhere that you feel more comfortable and safer. It’s frustrating that there have been reports to CPS and that they have not been helpful. Like you said, you turn 18 in about 2 weeks, which makes it less likely that police would take a runaway report from your dad and put resources into finding you. Though we cannot guarantee what exactly would happen, as all police departments handle runaway cases a little differently. One suggestion is to contact your local police department and ask what they would do in this situation.
If you would like to discuss this further, please call our hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat us online at 1800runaway.org. We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe,
NRS