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At some point, every adolescent imagines how life might be better away from parental influence; but the harsh realities of economic recession now seem to be pushing more of them to actually leave home, joining the growing number of teen runaways in the US. The odds a homeless person being sheltered is younger than 18 are 1 in 4.9. That’s bad enough, but more more and more teens may be taking their chances on the street.

Government figures for teen runaways have not been updated since an estimate of 1.6 million per year was published in 2002, but informal evidence seems to indicate that the problem has been growing during the downturn, with more children turning to outreach programs over the past two years than ever before. Family financial stress is a major contributing factor. Police and social workers from cities as diverse as Atlanta, Salt Lake City, and Louisville have reported an increase in the number of runaways, many of whom cite the lack of jobs, money, food, and affordable housing at home to be triggers for their departure.

Sadly, leaving the troubles of home provides only the briefest of respites until the troubles of the street take hold. Drugs, violence, and sexual exploitation await many runaway teens, in addition to the immense daily struggle of finding food and shelter. Even if they have money in their pocket and manage not to get robbed, they are often unable to secure a place to stay like a hotel room or apartment due to their age. And finding a job without an address can be an almost insurmountable challenge. The majority of runaways return home within a week, but the current rate of foreclosures makes it seem probable that for some kids there literally is no home to go back to.

So what can be done? The odds an adult believes dealing with problems of the poor should be a top priority for the President and Congress are 1 in 2. Recent government action backs this up as a priority; bills to improve services for runaways were introduced in 2009 in both the House and Senate. State legislatures are also grappling with how best to identify, protect, and care for runaways and those at risk. For children whose home environment may not be safe to return to, or whose family may not be able to provide for them, help can’t come fast enough.