A Family Reunification Intervention for Runaway Youth and Their Parents/Guardians: The Home Free Program

This article presents a description and evaluation of the Home Free Program, a multi-component trauma-sensitive family reunification intervention based in a youth empowerment framework, which provides family-based crisis intervention and free transportation home for runaway youth. A mixed-methods evaluation was conducted with 107 parents/guardians whose children (ages 14-20) had run away from home. Qualitative data revealed changes in family interactional patterns related to physical reunification, clearer expectations, increased communication, improved communication, and increased awareness of differing perspectives. Quantitative data revealed decreases in family conflict, increases in family expressiveness, improvements in family dynamics, and improvements in youths' health outcomes.