How do you find somewhere to live at 16?

Answer 1

It's extremely dangerous for teenagers under age 18 to be on their own. Heck, it's hard enough to be over 18 and be living on your own!

However, many minors end up in situations where, for one reason or another, they are not living at home with their parent(s). If you have run away, DO make phone calls to agencies who can help. It may be hard to live under someone else's rules---but it is a thousand times harder to live on the streets!

Teens living on their own have trouble staying in school, finding legitimate work, avoiding people who will victimize them or take advantage, etc. etc. So, ideally, if you can find a relative to take you in, that would be best if you can't live at home.

Teens cannot legally sign contracts or buy "big ticket" items. So, teens can't sign a rental lease for an apartment or buy a car, as two examples. To be away from your parents and live separately, you'd need to live with someone who has bought or rented a house or an apartment. But "living with" anyone, of either sex, has risks, draw-backs, and can be very dangerous---even when it's an extended family member. Living arrangements are the number one source of victimization for teens, only surpassed by the danger of being on the street. Older "friends" might offer a place "to crash"---for a price like sex, selling drugs, or other illegal acts. And since many run-away teens are often trying to hide, these living arrangements are often kept "secret", and the secretiveness creates more danger for teens. When no family knows where you are, who you are with, and who those people are, adults who love you cannot protect you!

So, before you decide to take off and leave your parent(s)' home, TRY very hard to work things out. No matter how "bad" you think it is at home, it is 1,000 times worse on the streets. The only exception is if a teen is being abused.

Second, if your home life is unrepairable, seek help instead of running. Talk to close relatives, to family members you trust. Ask for their help.

Third, if you can't work with it out with your parents and your close family say they cannot help, turn to community organizations. Believe me, even a foster home is much better than living on the streets. Use the services available. At 16-years-old, a teen only has 2-years before the law says they are "baked", "done", ready to be out in the world. But even 18-year-olds who have no problems with their parents find it is not so easy living out in the world.

Before you make any decisions, buy yourself a tablet. On the top of the tablet's first page on the left side, write how much money YOU bring in per month. If you earn nothing, put $0.00 at the top of the page. Next, buy a newspaper that has classified ads in it. Look under apartments, one bedroom. On the right side of the page, write down the rent for one of the apartments. If the ad says plus utilities, write down gas, electric, water, sewage....the figures are different in different regions, states, cities, but for this, write down for each one of those $100.00 a month for each one-- so that is $400.00. Next, if your town/city has public buses, write down the amount for 1 trip one way....and times that by 2 (round trip)... then times that by 30 just to get an idea of transportation costs. Now, you need to think about food too. An average teen eats twice as much, typically, than an older adult in their 30s. To really get a good picture about food costs, write down a list of the foods you normally eat: cereal, milk, bread, cheese, sandwich meat, soda pop or other beverage, meat, potatos, vegetables, desserts. Look at grocery prices in a store or a flyer and write down some of those prices. For example, on sale you might get "macaroni and cheese" boxes 2 for say $1.50 and figure that will give you 2-4 meals if you eat small portions. After completing your store list, you'll likely see that a good diet could cost between say $300 to $400.00 per month. I didn't include fresh fruits/veggies because those often cost MORE than canned. Now, you'll need a list for "personal products" like toilet paper, deodorant, bath soap, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, etc. Women also need sanitary pads or tampons. State Welfare never pays for these "personal products". On sale you might get enough to last two months, for a good price, but you'll need to conserve because you won't have enough money to replace these every month. Now, to furniture: you'll need at least 1 serving set for yourself (plate, bowl, fork, spoon, knife); dish towels; bath towels; bed and sheets, one blanket, toiletries... you could sit on the floor until you can save for a living room chair or couch. Now, the household items could run you from "free" if you get hand-outs to several hundred dollars for used furniture. Forget new unless you have a charitable person to buy these things for you. So, with rents averaging from an almost-unheard-of-now $400.00 to over $1,000.00 and our estimate of $400.00 for utilities, it's unlikely you'll even have money for house furnishings and food. Finances are hard to think about when you're a teen who wants to move out, but it is reality. Really look at the financial issues. Then, I hope you'll go back to my first suggestions: try to work it out with the adults who care for and care about you.

Oh, and concerning education, it's very hard for teens living on their own to complete high school. College will be even harder to attend.