Youth on the street may say it is completely their choice to be homeless. They may say they just want to hang with their friends. This is a good way to maintain dignity or avoid talking about personal issues. When trust is built with someone who is really able to provide help, the stories of abuse, abandonment, and other trauma invariably come out.

Life on the streets is anything but fun. Guarding your possessions from theft, staying safe, looking for food, dry clothing and shelter, and continually receiving insults and nasty looks from passers by is not enjoyable.

Many youth run away from home, and many runaway reports are filed with the police. Few of those runaways stay out for more than one or two nights and fewer still become homeless.

Only 8% of youth served in homeless youth shelters nationally have a runaway report filed on them.

Most youth do want help. They want to have a normal life, go to school, start a career, develop relationships. They often do not know how to achieve those things with the limited resources available to them. They may be afraid to engage in services or cynical about the likelihood of getting real help. If trust can be slowly built, most do engage in services when they are available, and often do very well.