CHILDREN’S charity Barnardo’s is looking for people in Bradford to open their homes and throw a lifeline to young people at risk of homelessness in the city.

The spare bedroom service has already been successfully running in neighbouring Leeds for the past 20 years and is now desperately needed here, said its manager Jane Smith.

The idea is that people who have a spare bedroom can offer it as long-term supported lodgings to a young person, mostly those just coming out of care and needing help to move on to independent living.

The Futures service will also be a new way in Bradford of coming up with short-term emergency places for young people to stay after a family breakdown or crisis.

Bradford Council is only one of eight other local authorities in the Yorkshire area that has now asked Barnardo's to help it support young people under its responsibilities through the Leaving Care Act.

There were 66 looked after young people entitled to that continued support from March last year to February this year.

Mrs Smith said those who sign up will make a real difference to a young person’s life.

“Vulnerable young people who do not have the support of a loving family run the risk of sleeping rough on the streets, which is a dangerous place to be," she said.

"We urgently need people across Bradford to consider opening up their homes to young people who are in desperate need of accommodation."

She added: "Being a supported lodging provider is a really rewarding role, you can help a young person to get back on track and move on to a brighter future. Seeing that young person grow in confidence and then move on to live independently is a fantastic feeling.”

Supported lodging providers can come from all walks of life and be a mixture of single people, couples and families.

The only essential qualities needed to be a provider are to be patient, have a good sense of humour and an understanding of young people and their needs.

Mrs Smith added: "Young people want that Holy Grail of having their own flat but it can be very isolating so supported lodgings is to help them develop the skills they need to make a success of it.

"They can get to see first hand how people live, cook a meal, budget, deal with an emergency. We will match providers up with the right kind of young people for them so the more varied pool of providers we can sign up the better it is for us and the better it is for the young people."

A weekly fee of approximately £150 per week is also paid to cover costs and training and on-going support is given.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the service should contact the Futures team on 0113 258 0888.