Layoffs, foreclosures, and the rising cost of food and fuel have put a tremendous amount of pressure on millions of families. That pressure is on teenagers as well, and a growing number of them are running away.
San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and New York are some of the places that seem to draw runaway teens. Maureen Blaha of the National Runaway Switchboard says often to survive the youth panhandle, steal, and turn to prostitution.
Blaha says the reasons kids give for running away from home vary.
KCBS' Rebecca Corral reports
"There's some kind of conflict that's going on in the home that makes them think that anywhere is better than home," she said.
Blaha says right now the economy seems to be playing a big role in the rise of runaways.
"Families are under stress so youth are feeling that stress as well," she said. "Often that's what triggers a runaway episode."
The number of kids turning to outreach programs for food, shelter or some other help rose sharply last year. At least 1.6 million youngsters run away or are thrown out of their homes every year.
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