Could you open your home to a vulnerable young adult? Charity Sash is looking for more volunteers

Her mum moved to a new town with her two youngest sisters, leaving her dad at home with two other siblings.

Home no longer felt like home and Jade felt she needed to move out.

"My mum and dad split up and it wasn't a nice environment and I was to-ing and fro-ing from my home and my nana's," says Jade, aged 18. "Nana only has a one bedroom flat, so I was sleeping on a camp bed held up by two slats of wood."

Jade eventually got in touch local charity Sash, Safe and Sound Homes, that offers emergency and long-term accommodation to vulnerable young people aged between 16 and 25.

Soon, Jade was introduced to Pete and Laura Scaum, a couple from Acomb who rent out their spare room to young people in need through Sash.

Jade recalls feeling nervous at their first meeting.

"Pete and Laura were so welcoming. Pete opened the door and I met their two dogs straight away - they were so cute - and then they introduced me to Jasper the snake!

"It was a really lovely home. When I walked into my potential bedroom it had a London theme. London is my favourite place. The room had London bedding and wall paper. That really drew me in."

Sash volunteer hosts Pete and Laura Scaum at their home in Acomb, York

Jade moved in at the start of October. "At the beginning, it felt like I was in a hotel; it felt temporary and it didn't hit me that I was going to be living there. At first, I was really scared to come down, out of my room, but Laura and Pete were so nice. Now I feel like part of the furniture."

Her boyfriend, best mate and sisters are allowed to visit freely, although Sash rules forbid any overnight guests.

Jade works on a stall selling body jewellery and T-shirts on Shambles Market in York. She pays rent for her room and £7 a week in bills. She has the option to pay £20 a week for food too, but chooses to cook for herself, spending about £15 a week on her grocery shopping.

Sash has helped her to manage her budget. It also provides certain "rewards", including a free bus pass and £100 if she stays in her job for three months.

Jade is full of praise for Sash and volunteer hosts like Pete and Laura.

She said: "I think Sash is absolutely amazing. I don't know where I would be right now if it wasn't for them - probably still living on the camp bed.

"Being a host must be one of the most rewarding things to do, knowing you are keeping that young person safe by providing them shelter.

"Being in the Sash environment is very positive for me and has pushed me to feel like life is good and I am really thankful to them for making me realise that."

Pete and Laura both work in caring professions and volunteered with Sash because they wanted to make a difference to young people's lives.

They have been hosts for four years. Jade is their fourth "lodger".

Pete said: "Sash helps young adults who are not going to get many opportunities. If you don't have an address, it is hard to get a job. If they are in education, how are they going to continue with that? We felt we would be giving them an opportunity to get on their feet."

All hosts go through rigorous vetting and training, which can take up to three months, before becoming approved. Hosts and lodgers have agreements too, covering issues such as household chores.

The host's role is more of a mentoring than a parenting one; Pete and Laura say they feel more like flatmates.

Laura said: "Some people don't like rules or structure, which can be difficult because you can feel that you are always on their back and nagging them."

Pete added: "We try to encourage them to think about the reason they do things. We don't want to look like we are nagging parents. We explain to them that you need to do that and it is part of your agreement and if you continue to ignore it you will jeopardise the arrangement."

Hosts can choose what categories of young people they are prepared to take in, which can include people with mental health and drug problems. They can also specify what gender they would prefer.

Pete, who works in mental health and Laura, who is a student nurse, admit they have had some challenges over the years, including a young man suffering from depression and another who was using drugs. Sometimes, placements can break down because of factors like these, or because the young person needs more support in their living arrangements.

Pete and Laura also provide emergency cover when a young person might just need a bed for one night. Sash pays hosts £18.50 a night for or £130 for a week.

Laura said: "When you help vulnerable young people, it's so rewarding seeing them moving on."

Pete said: "It can be very stressful and hard work. But the positive side of it is that you feel good about yourself, supporting young adults. By doing this you know the kids aren't ending up on the street. There are a lot of kids who leave their families and end up with nowhere to live on the streets or sofa surfing."

Sash has its HQ in Walmgate, York, but covers a large geographical area from Settle to Scarborough, as well as over into the East Riding towards Hull. They have around 100 hosts but are always looking to recruit more - particularly in the Hambleton and Richmondshire areas, covering Northallerton, Thirsk and Richmond.

This year, they expect to have helped 400 young people.

Helping the young homeless of North Yorkshire: Peter Robinson, director of Sash

Peter Robinson, director of Sash, said homelessness among young people was a social problem. Research this year by Cambridge University found there were 35,000 young people in homeless accommodation at any one time and 20 per cent of those surveyed had sofa surfed while 17 per cent had slept rough.

Peter says Sash works because it intervenes early to help young people solve their housing problems and prevent them becoming rough sleepers as they get older.

It also allows young people to get on with their lives - finishing education, finding work and eventually moving into an independent living situation.

He said: "It gives them a chance to move on with their lives positively. Our whole ethos is transformational: a young person comes to us in a crisis situation and can't cope. We help them finish their education or get into the labour market. Quite a few have gone on to university."

Typically, says Peter, four out of five people move on to suitable, permanent long-term accommodation and two in three are still there six months later.

He said: "We are intervening now to give somebody the help they need and prevent them from becoming the entrenched street homeless people of the future."

Find out more about Sash and becoming a host online at sash-uk.org.uk