6:50am Tuesday 29th January 2008
By Fran Bardsley
FAMILIES across Oxfordshire have been asked to throw open their doors and take in a homeless youngster.
A new scheme is aimed at preventing teenagers who have nowhere to live being forced to spend time in bed and breakfast accomm- odation.
Chris Chaundy and his wife Emily, from Oxford, have been providing a haven for 17-year-old Abi Slater since December.
And they have encouraged other families to follow their lead.
Mr Chaundy, 27, said: "There seems to be a gap when young people leave the education system and they get lost.
"With Abi, now she's got a stable address, everything is working well and she can apply for jobs and college courses.
"She doesn't have to worry about some of the issues she worried about when she was on the street and she's always got someone to talk to."
The couple have a 17-month-old daughter, Maya.
Mr Chaundy added: "Abi loves children and it has been a really good experience for her - we don't ask her to look after our kid, but it's very much a family atmos- phere.
"What we do is encourage Abi to be more independent so she sometimes cooks her own meals. But we invite her to go out with us sometimes too.
"Having someone like her in our house has opened our eyes to the problems they face - and we as a community have a responsibility to look after young people."
Abi became homeless last year after she walked out of her Greater Leys home.
However, she has managed to secure a part-time job since moving in with the Chaundys.
She said: "When I was staying in temporary accommodation, I got followed home and asked if I was a prostitute. I had a really bad experience. It's so much better staying here because I actually feel safe and part of a family. I know I'm not on my own and I've got everything I need.
"Hostels are good if you want to be independent straight away, but it's really hard and I couldn't handle it."
Oxfordshire County Council's supported lodgings co-ordinator Roz Denson said some of the people who needed homes were more of a risk than others - but said there were careful matching programmes in place.
She added: "We get a really diverse mix of people interested in becoming hosts.
"We don't have any restrictions in terms of age or family - dynamic single people, couples and families.
"Every young person goes through an assessment process of their skills, needs and risks. We do have hosts that take high support young people who are a risk, but we also have young people who are low risk.
"It's very important because we have such a lack of housing in Oxfordshire and a growing population of young people becoming homeless - and we really don't have anywhere to put them."
The scheme has housed eight young people since October.
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