The National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) is the federally designated national communications system for runaway and homeless youth, their parents and families, teens in crisis, and anyone else who might benefit from its services. It is confidential, anonymous, non-judgmental, non-directive, and free.
What is the hotline number?
The hotline number is 1-800-RUNAWAY. Calls are answered every day of the year, 24 hours a day.
Ways that the NRS helps
NRS answers well over 100,000 calls a year from all states and U.S. territories. In 2008, forty-nine percent of the crisis calls were from youth. Half of the youths making crisis calls were on the street. Some of the problems identified by callers to 1-800-RUNAWAY include: family dynamics, peer/social, school education, physical abuse, and/or alcohol/drug use. Some simply wish to talk and need an attentive listener. They can also obtain referrals to legal resources in their community and employment programs. NRS maintains a database of over 16,000 organizations throughout the country to which callers can be referred, as well as many other specialized hotlines that serve youth and families.
Parents or other relatives of runaways also frequently turn to the hotline to find help in learning what they can do about a child who has run away, how to go about making an official report, and to get emotional support during the crisis. Often, parents call not because their children already are missing, but because they fear they might run away in the future or because of ongoing problems involving discipline, drug abuse or alcohol abuse, truancy, etc.