According to statistics provided by the Crime Information Bureau of The Wisconsin Department of Justice over 26,000 Wisconsin youth were reported to police agencies as missing from their home.  This figure is even more alarming considering that a number of runaway youth (over 50%) and homeless youth (up to 100%) go unreported.  Last year the runaway programs in the state provided facts to face services to 2,783 youth and provided an additional 4,244 youth with counseling services over the 24 hour hotlines.

A common fallacy is the belief that runaways are out to have a good time, running to places such as New York or Florida for fun.  This is NOT the case.  Most runaways are not running TO someplace, but rather, they are running FROM a negative family situation.  This is emphasized by the fact that 95% of the youth served by Wisconsin programs came from within the geographical area served by the program, 4% came from counties outside the service areas, and less than 1% came from other states (2001).

Reasons given by youth for running away indicate that they are in desperate need of assistance.  Contributing problems reported by runaway youth in the state include divorce, unemployment, domestic violence, drop out rate, and physical and/or sexual abuse.  The statistics are:

When your child returns home he/she may be overwhelmed by emotions:  relief, anger, gratitude.  Despite what you are feeling, some or all of the following steps may help ease the transition period:

• See if medical attention is warranted.
• Show your child love and concern.
• Communicate:  Listen to your child; his or her messages are extremely important and must take priority in the reestablishment of your relationship.
• contact schools, officials, police, etc. to let them know your child has returned home.
• Develop a plan with your child to work on the problems that exist within your home.  Involve professional support, as needed, to help you determine the best way to strengthen the family relationships.
• Maintain communication and look at the identified changes as the "new" family traditions.  
• Use the referrals below to support you during all of these steps.
• Call TeenCare if individual or family counseling is desired (715-235-9552).

They can provide temporary shelter for teens who have already left home between the ages of 12 and 17.  All the shelter teens are safe and are assisted in resolving the problems that caused them to run.

If you are not familiar with the youth shelter in your community, call the National Runaway Switchboard 1-800-621-4000 and they will get you in touch with the shelter program closest to you.