This paper explores why young people leave home and become homeless. Drawing on life history interviews conducted with 50 homeless youth in Los Angeles, explanations provided by participants for becoming homelessness and how they understand their experiences are presented. In professional discourses, homeless young people are often portrayed as victims of physical abuse and emotional neglect. Although participants' narratives reveal that abuse and neglect play a central role in their decisions to leave home, many maintain a sense of agency in the recounting of how they became homeless. The importance of service providers recognizing young people's agency is discussed.