National Runaway Switchboard Fact Sheet

NRS Mission

The mission of the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) is to keep America’s runaway and at-risk youth safe and off the streets. 

National Distinction

The National Runaway Switchboard is the federally designated national communication system for runaway and homeless youth, the only organization to ever hold that distinction. 

 NRS Services

Crisis Intervention:  NRS operates a hotline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All calls to the crisis line are confidential. The front line team of staff and volunteers receive 36.5 hours of training to provide non-judgmental and non-directive support.

Information & Referrals: A database of more than 16,000 youth and family agencies provides countless options for callers to access counseling, alternative housing, basic center/shelter services, alcohol/drug treatment, and child protective services.  In addition, NRS maintains a hard copy library of

reference materials to supplement the database. 

Conference Calls:  When youth request assistance contacting their family or an agency that can help them, NRS will facilitate a conference call.  The front line team member remains on the line with the youth, helping to advocate in support of the youth.

Message Service:  NRS maintains a message service for youth who want to relay a message but are not ready to communicate with their parent.  NRS’ message service is the least intimidating means for a youth to reestablish contact with the parent/guardian and often serves as the first step toward reunification. 

Home Free:  In partnership with Greyhound Lines Inc., NRS helps reunite runaway youth with their families through a free bus ticket home. Over 10,000 youth have been reunited with families through the Home Free Program since 1995.

Prevention and Educational Materials:  Educators can receive a free copy of the new NRS Runaway Prevention Curriculum complete with an eight-minute film, 1-800-RUNAWAY. NRS provides educational and promotional material free of charge to individuals and organizations to distribute within their community.

www.1800RUNAWAY.org:  NRS’ website has three main goals:  to direct calls to the hotline so that youth and families can receive individualized attention and support; to engage youth and families so they can access critical information before a runaway episode occurs; and to disseminate information about NRS, youth and runaways to the community.  Since the new improved website went live on March 1, 2006, NRS experienced a 41% increase in visitors.

NRS History

Founded by a group of Chicago agencies and originally named Metro Help, the hotline was established in 1971 to fill a need for comprehensive crisis intervention for young people in Chicago. Recognized as the oldest hotline of its kind in the world, it was conceived as a centralized organization with 24-hour services, expertise in all youth-related issues and as an information clearinghouse of youth services.

In 1974, the National Runaway Switchboard received an eight-month federal demonstration grant to establish a national hotline. During this time, 11,000 calls were received demonstrating the need for this type of service. Since then, NRS’ capabilities and services have grown considerably. On average, NRS handles more than 100,000 phone calls annually. The operations have grown to full-time equivalent of 20 paid, professional staff with the support of over 150 volunteers.

NRS’ services are provided through funding from and in partnership with the Family and Youth Services bureau in the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, private funding is raised from foundations, corporations and individuals.

NRS Volunteers

As a non-profit organization, NRS depends heavily on volunteers.  NRS volunteers include “liners” in its Chicago call center, who answer calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from youth and families in crisis.  Each liner completes 36.5 hours of specialized training to provide hotline support to callers from across the country.  In addition, volunteers serve as task force members to help plan activities.  Volunteer ambassadors across the country promote NRS by distributing runaway prevention educational materials and

1-800-RUNAWAY promotional materials. Volunteers are of every age and socio-economic background.

“It has been a unique honor and privilege to work with NRS.  My callers have taught me more about the human experience and ultimately about myself, than they could ever know.”  

                                       - Kelvin Kakazu

                                         2006 Volunteer of the Year

Portrait of a Runaway

Runaways are not “bad” kids.  They are not running to something, but away from something.  They believe their home situations to be so awful that living anywhere else is better; even if this means living on the streets.  Their home situation usually involves many problems, not one isolated problem.

Anyone may run away from home when home or school situations become “unbearable” to them.  And it is important to understand that a youth’s reason for leaving is unique to that individual.  There is no such thing as a “typical” runaway.  Youth come from every kind of neighborhood, rich or poor, rural or urban.  There is no differentiation between race or religion. 

Many runaways leave home more than once.  The first time they run, they typically with friends or relatives.  As the length of time away from home increases, these youth often flee to urban areas where they can “blend in” with other kids and are therefore less likely to be noticed by authority figures.  They tend to hang out at fast food restaurants, shopping malls and video arcades.  They live in abandoned buildings or underneath highway bridges.  In warmer climates, they may spend their nights on the beach or in parks.

As bad as things may have been at home, runaways soon find life on the street even worse.  Most leave home without understanding the daily problems they will encounter once they have run away: they only seek to escape the problems in their current situation.  And it doesn’t help when television and movies romanticize life on the streets.  Street life is not a Tom Sawyer/river boat adventure as runaways find out all too soon. 

Statement of Need

The statistics tell the story of why NRS is in operation.  In a time when so many children are in crisis, NRS’ services are needed even more urgently. 

• 1.6-2.8 million runaway and homeless youth live on the streets of America.

                     (OJJDP, 2002, Research Triangle Institute, 1995)

• Youth aged 12-17 are at higher risk for homelessness than adults.

                    (American Journal of Public Health, 1994, 1998)

• 47% of runaway/homeless youth indicated that conflict between them and their parent or guardian was a major problem.
         (Westat, 1997)