Kevin’s Story
By Lashawnda M. Carter
The National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) received a call from a 16-year-old homeless youth, Kevin, in Las Vegas, NV, asking for help getting home. Kevin, who had been living on the streets for three weeks, left his home because he was tired of living under his grandparent’s strict rules. On the other end of the line to answer the call was NRS frontline team member Danny.
"National Runaway Switchboard, can I help you?" Danny answered.
"Hi, I got your number from a street outreach worker. She said that I could call you for help getting back home. Can you help me?" Kevin asked.
"I’m glad that you decided to call. I’m sure I can help you. Are you in a safe place right now?" Danny asked.
"Actually right now, I’m at a drop-in center but I can’t stay the night because there’s no room in their shelter. I have no place else to go," Kevin said.
Kevin continued to tell Danny about how his grandparents had guardianship of him because his mother abandoned him five years ago. He said that they were really strict and didn’t allow him to socialize with any of his friends outside of school. He also said that he wasn’t allowed to participate in any sports or afterschool activities because they needed him to help take care of his little sister afterschool.
"I just got fed up with not having a life of my own. I started getting depressed and my grades were dropping because I was miserable….so I left. I thought I’d be able to stay in school and get a part-time job and support myself, but I couldn’t. I hitched a ride to L.A. hoping that it would be easier to find work. Now I’m stuck, I just want to go home."
"I’m sorry that you had to go through all that. Let's look at your options and work through a plan to get you home safe," Danny said.
Danny talked with Kevin some more about his options. He also was able to encourage Kevin to use NRS’ three-way conference call to talk to his grandparents about how he was feeling and why he left home. Kevin’s grandparents didn’t know that their strict rules had him depressed to the point of running away from home. They were happy to hear he was okay and that he wanted to come home. They also agreed to let him get involved in some school activities and the freedom to enjoy being with his friends.
After arranging Kevin’s travel arrangements to get home, using NRS’ Home Free program done in collaboration with Greyhound Bus Lines, Danny gave him a list of referrals for counseling centers in his community to help him deal with his depression. Danny thanked him for calling NRS and reassured him that he could always call 1-800-RUNAWAY if he needed any help.
*The names, photo, and location have been changed to protect anonymity of the caller.