UAY has been a federally-funded Basic Center for Runaway and Homeless Youth since 1984. We provide services
to those in Johnson, Iowa, Cedar, and Washington Counties. UAY offers free consultation, mediation, family couseling and individual
counseling for teenagers.
If you do not live in this area, there is probably a Basic Center near you that provides similar services. Call the National
Runaway Switchboard at
1-800-621-4000, to find help in your area. Or visit
www.nrscrisisline.org. We have counselors available who understand the perspectives of both parents and teenagers. .
For parents of a runaway:
Counselors are available to brainstorm options for your particular situation. Having a child run away can be a very frightening
and a very frustrating experience. Counselors can offer you some practical ideas on what to do next. If you need
help locating your child, consider working with our Street Outreach program. They are out in the community wherever teenagers
are. They can ask around or work from a photograph you provide, to try and make contact with your child. If your child hasn't
been found yet, a UAY counselor will sit down with parents and develop a plan on what to do when your child does return.
