Runaways

An average of 1.3 million teenagers run away from home each year, and unfortunately increasing at a rate of 15%. Many of these adolescents do face problems that may seem unbearable at the time, but life on the streets creates new problems that are often ten times worse. In fact, most of the teenagers who leave home often wonder, after as little as one or two days of life on the streets, "What was so bad that I ran away from to come here?"

The National Runaway Switchboard cites the number one reason why teenagers run away as family problems; 52% of its callers give this as their reason. The other most commonly given reasons are as follows: School/peer pressure, 13%; Physical abuse, 8%; Alcohol/drug abuse, 6%; Sexual abuse, 4%; Emotional abuse, 4%; Legal issues, 3%; Pregnancy, 2%; Other, 10%. It may be tempting for anyone facing these problems to have the desire to run away instead of confronting the issue. So, perhaps it is safe to say that the number one reason for running away is out of fear and depression of what appears to be an overwhelming situation.

Some signs of depression, which can lead to running away, include the following examples:

A sudden change in behavior, deteriorating grades in school, or in a group of friends
A loss of appetite
Listlessness, a lack of interest in activities, and an unwillingness to become involved in new projects
A change in sleep patterns
Feelings of hopelessness or helplessness
Use of alcohol or drugs
Physical aggression towards peers and family members
Isolation

Unfortunately, it is often hard to detect when a person is considering running away because it is most often planned out secretly. But if you are concerned about a friend and notice any of the above signs, it is good to talk to them or a trusted adult. Several factors may 'trigger' this decision, such as the loss of a loved one, lack of stable family life, poor communication of feelings, anxiety or embarrassing situations. Just when a teenager might need help the most, the worsen the situation by running.

While there is no stereotypical runaway, some general information can pertain to all situations. Many runaways leave home several times. The first time, they usually stay closer to home, sometimes even with friends or relatives. As the length of time they stay away from home increases, they tend to flee to larger cities, so as to blend in. Runaways may stay by fast food restaurants, malls or video arcades. They may live in old abandoned buildings-called squats-or under bridges or, in warmer climates, on beaches. As bad as things may have seemed at home, however, street life is even worse. Each day, a runaway will encounter several problems, the biggest one being survival.

As it was previously mentioned, there is no such thing as a "typical" runaway. Runaways come from a variety of backgrounds and environments. Some runaways have been forced out of their homes, leave alone chronic runaways from their family homes. Others have left juvenile institutions, residential facilities or foster homes. Regardless of where they came from, runaways generally face the same "typical" life. The following is a made-up example of a fictional runaway's daily life on the streets:

Day in the life…

Gwen looked back at her situation in the past two weeks. It began one morning when she woke up early and left home with $250, some clothes, a backpack, and food. Already after 15 minutes, $70 were gone because it was used for bus fare to the city. Thinking back, Gwen realized that air-conditioned bus-ride was the best part of her life as a runaway. From there, things went downhill.

Stepping off the bus, a bunch of problems occurred at once. A young girl near the station saw Gwen immediately grabbed her backpack of food and clothes and disappeared into thin air. Upset, Gwen began to cry helplessly, until a boy her age walked up to her.
"Hey listen if your going to live on the streets, you have to learn a couple of things. Lesson #1: Never cry. It'll just make you look more vulnerable. By the way my name's Razor Blade. Well not really, but it's my street name."
"I'm Gwen." As she spoke, she dried her eyes.
"Well, hey Gwen you seem nice so I'll cut you a deal. If you give me $150 I can get you a nice place to stay. A whole bunch of us have this place fixed up and you can live with us, too."
Gwen was relieved to know she had a place, so she gladly handed over the money.
"Thanks Gwen. By the way lesson #2 is: don't trust anybody." With that, Razor Blade ran down the street. Gwen was now left with $30. Since she hadn't eaten all day she decided to go to the donut shop to grab some cheap food.
Four days later, Gwen was cold, out of money, dirty and hungry. She'd been staying under a bridge by a river, although she couldn't sleep much at night out of fear of what could happen - rape, theft, murder. During the day she would go to stores to see if she could get a fob but no one would hire a 15 yr. old runaway. She'd also hang out in fast food restaurants to keep warm and hope that some kind soul would buy her food. No such luck. So she finally decided to go to a shelter to clean u and get a meal.
At the shelter, a girl her age introduced herself. "hi, I'm Star. Listen, me and a couple of guys found a squat a couple of blocks away. It's damp and smells like a reservoir, but it's abandoned. You wanna come with us?"
Eventually, Gwen gave in and she, Star and 4 guys - Weed, Butted, Trick, and Fireball headed down the street to their new "home." It was infested with rats, dark, and smelly, but that didn't seem to bother the others. In fact they were celebrating with hits of acid. Gwen refused to join them that time, but she has since experimented with drugs, something she used to swear she'd never do.
Gwen had faced other problems in those past two weeks. She witnessed one runaway kill another in a fight over a stale muffin. She saw Weed overdose on drugs. She spent her days panhandling for whatever she could get and sometimes had to steal to survive. And her worst experience, when she started prostitution. It was her first time, and it was sacrifice to a fifty year old overweight man who rented a cheap, dark room. What did she get out of it? $50.00, and a lot of pain and discomfort.
She confided in Star about this experienced and Star began crying. Star, who resorted to prostitution months before, confessed. "I think I'm pregnant. And worse, I think the father had AIDS."
That did it for Gwen. In two weeks, she faced every problem imaginable - and she began to look back, wondering, "What did I ever run away from to begin with?"

The above example is not an exaggeration of a runaway's life, it's a reality. Acid and cocaine are frequently done, rape is routine, squats are crowded and dirty, panhandling and stealing are a way of life. Teens resort to selling drugs, prostitution and pornography, in order to survive. Homicide rates are high, and STD's particularly AIDS -are frequently contracted. Hunger becomes the least of your problems.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to running away. You can talk to someone you trust - a friend, relative, teacher or counselor. There are hotlines to call for help, some local (Listed in your phone book) and some national. If your living situation is really unbearable, you can live with a friend or relative or ask to be placed in a foster home. Or, if you already have runaway, you can go to a youth shelter.

Did you know:

1/3 runaways are lured into prostitution or pornography within 48 hours.
Majority of runaways do drugs.
Majority of kids on the streets steal for survival
63% of runaways are girls /37% are boys
99% of teens prostitutes were sexually abused as a child
Over 5000 runaways die on the streets each year. Major causes of death are:
- Assault
- Diseases(including but not limited to AIDS) and illness
- Suicide
- Drug overdose.
Seattle, San Francisco, & NYC are top destinations for runaways, but Hollywood has the highest # 3000.

There are many shelters that will help runaways in major cities. For example, there is Covenant House in NYC and Options House in Hollywood. These centers offer food, showers, friendship and counseling. Also, many free clinics will employ former runaways to offer help and rescue newcomers. Finally, there are several toll free phone numbers for runaways to call. Any information you tell the receptionist is kept confidential, and they are there to help. Visit our virtual library for a list of phone numbers or names of places to get help. Also listed are resources for further information on runaways.

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