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Are you or a friend coping with a family conflict like separated, divorced, drug addicted, abused or abusive parents?
family
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Are you or a friend coping with a problem friendship, boyfriend, girlfriend, authority figure, cult or gang?
relationships
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Are you or a friend coping with poor self-esteem, stress, anxiety, loneliness, grief, anger or depression?
feelings
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Are you or a friend coping with depression or thoughts of suicide?
suicide
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Are you or a friend coping with a lack of basic needs like food, clothing, housing, employment, or trouble at school?
basic needs
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Are you or a friend coping with prejudice, neglect, emotional, physical or sexual abuse, survival sex, prostitution, domestic violence or crime?
abuse
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Are you or a friend coping with a physical disability, sexually transmitted disease (STD), HIV/AIDS, self-harm, a psychiatric or eating disorder?
health
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Are you or a friend coping with questions about sexuality, sexual hygiene, a pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease (STD) or HIV/AIDS?
sex
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Are you or a friend coping with tobacco, alcohol, street drugs or prescription drugs?
drugs & alcohol
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Are you or a friend coping with thoughts of leaving home, running away or are you already homeless?
running away
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It's free. It's 24/7. It's for you.
What is a runaway?
Really, there's no one way to describe young people who run away or who are homeless, or to describe the backgrounds they come from. They are male and female; rich and poor; adults and teenagers. They are sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and friends.
What is a runaway?
Should I run away?
How will I support myself?
How do I get help?
How can Nineline help me?
meet a Covenant House kid
visit our forum on running
download info on running (pdf)
abuse information for caregivers
Share your thoughts about running away in the Nineline Forum.
In most states, a runaway is anyone under 18 who leaves their home (or other residence) for one or more nights without the permission of his or her parents (or legal guardians). A homeless teenager is anyone under 18, who has no home to return to and needs supervision and care. Throwaways or lockouts are kids who have been thrown out by parents or guardians, feel unwelcome at home, or that there is no place for them in the family. When we talk about homeless and runaway youth, we talk about these young people too.
Most kids don't run away simply for adventure. They're running from what they feel are unbearable or unsolvable situations. They're running because they just don't know what else to do - but they know they have to do something. While only about six percent of the kids who leave home stay on the streets or keep returning to the streets, that's still tens of thousands of kids a year!
Many kids, who return home run again and keep running, because usually without help nothing changes.
But things CAN change. Help is available - all over the country.