Operations at SASH (Safe And Sound Homes) during the COVID-19 outbreak
The health and well being of the charity’s staff, young people, hosts, volunteers and supporters is extremely important to the charity – and never more so than during this unsettled time.
Based on the government guidelines, SASH has taken the decision to close its offices in York and Scarborough from Wednesday 18th March 2020 until further notice.
Interim Chief Executive, Alison Seabrooke, speaks on social media about current operations at SASH.
Throughout this outbreak, SASH will continue to place vulnerable young people in need of a place to stay through our emergency Nightstop service and maintain young people’s placements in our longer term Supported Lodgings scheme, for those who cannot return home. We will continue to do this where both the young person and the host are willing and without signs of illness. These services provide vital stability for young people who have already faced disruption in their lives and whose options will be even more limited in the current crisis.
Interim Chief Executive, Alison Seabrooke, said: “SASH provides a crucial community service for young people facing homelessness in our area. Wherever possible, SASH will continue to operate its core services, adapting our operations to the most current government guidelines in order to practice in the safest way possible.”
At the soonest possible opportunity, SASH aims to return to providing all of our vitally important services to young people in need.
Please refer to the news section of our website for any further updates.
Notes to Editors
Contact: For more information, please contact Thea Burden (Communications Co-ordinator at SASH) on thea.burden@sash-uk.org.uk.
About SASH (Safe And Sound Homes)
- SASH works to prevent youth homelessness across North and East Yorkshire
- SASH provides an emergency accommodation placement service called Nightstop, where young people are placed with volunteer hosts for up to two weeks.
- SASH also provides a longer-term placement service, Supported Lodgings, with volunteer hosts for young people who cannot return home and cannot yet live independently.
- Ordinary citizens who are concerned about young people and homelessness apply to SASH to become hosts – they are assessed, DBS checked, trained and our Host Coordinators support them.
- The young people we work with are often vulnerable. SASH’s Young People’s Co-ordinators support them through their placement. Loneliness, poor mental health and self-esteem are all issues which can affect young people who’ve faced homelessness. Our SASH Active programme connects young people helped by our services through residential trips, valuable life-skills workshops as well as other enriching experiences.
- All young people SASH works with are referred through councils and other local organisations after presenting as homeless.
