The National Runaway Switchboard: Connecting Youth to Assistance

Help for runaway and homeless youth is a phone call away. The National Runaway Switchboard connects young people to their families, a warm bed, a hot meal, a ticket home – whatever it takes to keep them safe and get them off the streets.

Youth and the adults who care about them can dial 1-800-RUNAWAY, a toll-free hotline, any time of the day or night. The Home Free Program, a collaboration with Greyhound Lines Inc., gives eligible teens a free bus ticket to reunite with family or travel to an independent living program.

NRS also works to keep young people from running away in the first place. The organization’s runaway prevention materials and curriculum enable teachers and youth workers to educate young people about the risks of running away.

NRS is a federally mandated communications system, or hotline, funded by the Family and Youth Services Bureau. NRS also cosponsors National Runaway Prevention Month each November.

To find out more about NRS and its programs, listen to NCFY’s interview with Executive Director Maureen Blaha.