A CHARITY is seeking volunteers in Hambleton to offer emergency overnight accommodation to young people needing somewhere safe to stay.

SASH is appealing for people who can provide the use of a spare room for the night, evening meal and breakfast for vulnerable young people at a time of crisis.

The charity helps 16 to 24-year-olds and tries to place them close to their jobs or college and in homes on a bus or train route so they can continue their work and education.

In the past year the charity has managed to arrange 37 nights of accommodation in the homes of volunteers and helped 15 young people, who met the charity’s criteria and passed its risk assessment, which includes police checks.

They included a 19-year-old who lost his job and his tenancy broke down, under Sash’s Nightstop scheme he was able to go for job interviews and arrange alternative private accommodation without having to sleep rough.

Another teenager they helped in Hambleton included an 18-year-old living in stressful conditions at home with his terminally ill mother, both of whom needed breathing space provided by the charity.

The service currently has just two households in the Northallerton area.

One of those volunteers, Michael Webster, who helps provide accommodation in his Northallerton home with his wife Rowena said: “It’s always sad when these young folk have nowhere to sleep at night. They may have been sofa surfing for a while or suddenly find themselves homeless. Sometimes they turn up with a small bag or with a case that has all their worldly possessions.

“This scheme just gives them a bit of breathing space until something more permanent can be found.”

A recruitment day will be taking place at Northallerton Library on Saturday, October 19, from 10am until 1pm and Thursday, October 24,1pm-5pm.

For more details about volunteering, email community coordinator Sarah Ware at: sarah.ware@sash-uk.org.uk or ring the charity’s main office on; 01904-652043.