Homelessness & running away

                 
                            Homelessness is having nowhere to live. A runaway is someone who has run away or is seriously thinking about running away.

Why do children and young people run away, or become homeless?
Running away from home is often not something that is planned. Deciding to run is a decision made on the spur of the moment, and you might not be prepared, with no money, no warm clothes, no phone numbers, or any idea about where you might seek help.

Some of the main reasons you might want to run away could be:

Arguments with your family
Violence in your family
Physical or sexual abuse
Pregnancy
Running away from care
You are in a stressful situation, like after the death of someone you loved.

What is living on the streets like?
Living on the streets is very hard: you will be cold, hungry and in danger from other people. Being on the streets when you are young is dangerous. Some of the problems you may face are:

Nowhere safe to sleep or rest.
No food or clean water.
Being at risk from dangerous or abusive people.
Not being able to wash yourself or your clothes.
Getting sick.
No money.
Being attacked or having your belongings stolen from you.

I feel like running away, what can I do?
If you are feeling unhappy or are being hurt by someone, running away will not make it better. You will have different problems if you run away and are on the streets.

If you can talk to someone about how you feel such as a parent or teacher, they can help you find a way to solve your problems without you running away. If you can't talk to someone, or feel that they won't listen, you can call us.

Calling us can help you talk about what is wrong and find a way of solving it before it gets so bad that you run away. It may be hard to talk about what's wrong, but it will really help. If you don't get through to us the first time, don't give up. Try again another time until you get through.