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Forum Housing Association accommodates 16- to 25-year-olds who are fleeing domestic violence or leaving their homes due to family breakdown.

They've experienced all sorts of troubled backgrounds and are often hard to engage with, so we need to think of creative ways to involve them.

We successfully applied to Comic Relief for an £88,000 grant over three years to employ two resident representatives, one aged 17 and one aged 23. Both had experienced homelessness and lived in Forum housing – in fact, one of them still does, although the other now lives independently.

From the beginning of 2003, the representatives have worked part-time, 25 hours each a week. They are paid the going rate for our housing support staff.

They encourage young people to participate in the life and decision-making process of the association, and have managed to find 11 young people to act as voluntary project resident representatives.

This certainly isn't a token gesture – the resident representatives have a monthly meeting with the chief executive because we want the roles to be backed right from the top.

This year, we've already had 30 residents' meetings; last year, we only had 30 in the whole year. There have also been seven focus groups on issues such as vandalism. At the moment, we're negotiating the lease on a resource centre, where workshops and training can be held. The residents will own and manage it – it will be their territory, a staff-free zone.

Young people have a valid contribution to make and we're helping them to make that contribution.

When the three-year grant comes to an end, we will support the programme internally, even if we can't secure supplementary grants.