A CHARITY is asking for help this festive period to ensure homeless young people in Andover can have somewhere to call home this Christmas.

Alabaré has launched its Christmas Appeal to make sure that people have the opportunity to escape the crisis and fear of life on the streets and give them an opportunity to transform their lives.

Andrew Lord, chief executive of Alabaré, said: “Christmas is a time of year where many will be enjoying their home comforts and spending time alongside family and friends. However the reality for those that Alabaré help can be very different – having a troubled past and uncertain future. We want to make sure that we are there for the young people that need our care and support. ”

Last year Alabaré supported over 130 vulnerable young people, providing them not only with accommodation but the help, guidance and advice they need to overcome their difficult start in life.

Amongst those who received help last year was Jess.

When she was just 16, Jess fled home due to increasing family arguments at home.

She said: “I’d finish college and I’d have nowhere to go. I’d sit in a park on a bench and text all my friends and ask if I could sleep at their houses or on their sofas. Sometimes they said no. I was so scared.”

“I felt really depressed. My self-harming got worse and I hit a really, really low point. I didn’t see a way out. It was a position I never thought I’d be in and it was a really scary time. I felt so lonely.”

Desperate and not knowing what else to do, Jess plucked up the courage to ask for help at her local council and was put in touch with Alabaré.

Jess added: “Alabaré helped me face up to who I’d become. I could open up about my mental health and see life in a much more positive way. I’ve been able get my first part-time job and have managed to save enough to start renting my own flat.”

The charity also runs the Little Junction Drop In Centre which offers support and training to those in its accommodation.

Donate online to Alabaré’s Christmas Appeal at alabare.co.uk.

A donation of £14 pays for the initial support a young person requires when they first move in to one of its homes.