Running Away as a Last Resort

                When I was a little kid, I used to threaten my parents that I would run away as some sort of juvenile bargaining chip.  It was similar to the whole “I’m going to hold my breath until you let me have [blank].”  It was always an empty threat, and the one time I managed to work myself up enough to actually make it out the door, I couldn't even make it off our porch.  In the years since then, these times have become “cute” stories that my parents told their friends about, because, after the initial exasperation, it’s kind of endearing to hear what little kids try to do to get what they want.

           Looking back on this time now, I realize just how messed up it is that almost every kid, and a large majority of my friends, have “running away” stories from their childhoods.  In a way, running away has become normalized as something comical for little kids, and the seriousness of leaving home in earnest has been forgotten by most individuals and stigmatized by the general public. 

Even further, the times that we do acknowledge runaways, it’s because we’re trying to find them to return them to their homes, because we believe that is the best way to help them.  It was with this attitude that I found a wikiHow article, written or edited by many different people, on “How to Run Away From Home as a Teen”, and thought that it was just a joke, because there’s no way that a random website would be giving out advice to encourage teens to run away from home. 

                However, the very first part of the article is a disclaimer stating that wikiHow, or its various editors, are in no way recommending running away, but rather recognizing that some teens feel that their best chance in life is to leave their homes, and if they’re coming to that conclusion, they must really have something awful going on in their life at home that they’re trying to get away from. I really appreciated this article because it took a completely different perspective than the ones that you would see in most mainstream news and online media, and it really is something that could help someone who is feeling desperate enough to make such a huge and completely life-changing decision. 

                The main idea to take from the article is to absolutely not do it unless you need to.  And then, if you feel that it’s your only option, do what you have to do, but try to take steps that will ensure your survival and safety.  Also, if you ever feel like you want to talk about what you’re going through or need resources for shelter, Teen Link is open every night from 6-10pm, and we have chat every night as well! You can reach us at 1-866-833-6546 or online at www.866teenlink.com. 

Also, another really helpful resource that everyone should know about is Safe Place. They have a staff of volunteers that will pick you up at designated Safe Place locations all over Seattle and take you to local shelters. It is also a national program so there are Safe Place locations across the U.S. They are available any time of day or night. Check them out: http://nationalsafeplace.org/.

Living on The Steets

“Now everyday that I walk out of my building I see homeless people sleeping and chillin’ on the steps to the apartment that I live in…We’ve come to accept the homeless as a part of our landscape. The money the government wastes could provide them with a space place to eat and sleep. But we cease to see that our own country is based around war, power and greed. We’ve got families on the street with nowhere to go, and the concrete’s the only place they have to call home.” - City Don’t Sleep, Macklemore.

With weather like todays, it worries me that there are 500-2,000 homeless youth in Seattle on any given night. It’s a terrifying reality that many youth in Seattle and King County face. In fact, there are more than 1.5 million children and young adults trying to survive on the streets of the U.S. today. More often than not, they did not choose to become homeless, but were forced to leave their living situation for a number of reasons. Understanding homelessness is hard; it’s a complex issue that occurs in every socio-economic and racial group in America. For some reason, there is a misconception that homeless youth are homeless by their choice, which results in a stigma against the population. However, many homeless youth leave their homes because of a combination of abuse, family problems, or other circumstances that lead them to feel unsafe at home.

"Now every face tells a different story, a different message. Now how can we judge the book when we don't know the beginning. We don't know what turned 'em to the bottle , or started injectin', we just see dirty clothes and another bum beggin'…We don't want to face it…Now think about your home, and the place that you sleep. And the homeless, who only have the concrete."

As a person who has never experienced homelessness, I can’t tell you what it is truly like, but I can speak on my growth as I learned to interact with folks who are experiencing homelessness. The homeless newspaper "Real Change" is sold outside of my work. I see people become uncomfortable when they encounter a homeless person. I see people shut down. They avoid eye contact and rarely offer any response to the vendor’s friendliness. As someone who interacts with the vendor on a daily basis I have learned the impact of a simple smile. That is how it started for me, by simply offering a smile and a “hello” as I walked in to work. Conversations soon followed, and I could notice myself becoming much more comfortable with their company. Now when I see others’ discomfort, I realize how common these feelings truly are. Personally, I believe that my connection to someone who was homeless has given me a greater insight and confidence when confronted with the issue of homelessness.

"Now if you wanna see change, then throw your ones in the air. You think the system that we're livin' is not fair? You wanna see change, then put your ones in the air. Now point it to the ground, 'cause change starts right there… Now point 'em to yourself, 'cause change starts right there"

If you are looking for more information about youth homelessness, local shelters or drop-in centers, etc. the phone worker will be able to answer your questions and provide information. Here are some examples of youth shelters in the greater Seattle area, and their websites.

•  Youthcare: www.youthcare.org

• ROOTS young adult shelter (18-25 years old): www.rootsinfo.org

• Friends of Youth: www.friendsofyouth.org

If you would like to talk to someone about anything, big or small, Teen Link is available to you. We're completely anonymous and confidential, and the line is answered by trained teens in King County. Our phone number is 1(866)833-6546. You can call Teen Link every night (6-10pm) and have chat available through our website (www.866teenlink.org) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.