A GOOD Samaritan who shelters young homeless people in her home has joined a charity’s calls to protect them.

Rosie Sauvage, who volunteers as a host with the Sussex Nightstop charity, has looked after ten vulnerable young people in her Hove home this year.

She said she was shocked by the level of homelessness in the city after moving from London 18 months ago.

Ms Sauvage, of Holland Road, said: “The stories I hear are mostly family breakdown, substance abuse and a lack of a stable upbringing.

“I just think ‘that could be my child’.

“For these young people, a week can make all the difference.

“With an address they can claim benefits or get back into education instead of going out on to the street.”

Ms Sauvage said she was not uncomfortable letting strangers stay in her home.

She said she found the experience “enriching”.

The former social worker said: “When I walk past homeless people on the street I feel powerless, so it’s great to be able to help young people in this way.

“I’m a single woman and I have had these young men and women in my house and never felt uncomfortable.

“They’ve taught me about so many things, including Love Island.

“We don’t stay in touch with the young people we keep in, but I have heard one of the women I’ve tutored has now got herself back into education.

“It’s massively rewarding.”

Ms Sauvage added she would recommend anyone to sign up with Sussex Nightstop to help the homeless.

She said: “We mustn’t normalise homelessness, it’s very easy to when you walk past them every day.

“The team at Sussex Nightstop are amazing, they’re flexible around what hours you can do.”

The charity is now raising awareness of the dangers of young homeless people sleeping on the beach.

Last year, 1,055 young people approached Brighton and Hove City Council for help with homelessness, an increase of 40 per cent.

Sussex Nightstop said summer is a dangerous time for the homeless as they are often exposed to “unsavoury behaviour of late-night drunken revellers”.

This includes abuse, exploitation and fatigue due to poor sleep patterns.

Nightstop executive director Alison Marino said the most common reason for youth homelessness was family breakdown.

She said: “This year we are focused on our summer ‘Sleep Safe’ campaign which aims to raise £10,000 towards helping the young, vulnerable people of Brighton and Hove.

“The most common reasons for young people becoming homeless include parents being unable or unwilling to provide housing, and extended family members being unable to help or splitting up with a partner.

“We need Brighton and Hove residents, the city’s commercial organisations and the Sussex community as a whole to get behind us.”

The charity has helped 345 young people over the past year, providing 3,000 safe nights.