Waverley Emergency Adolescent Care is pleading for residents to join their crusade to find more foster homes for adolescents in strife.

The non-profit agency seeks to help young people from the eastern suburbs who need emergency, medium or long-term accommodation.

The service has about 23 foster carers on its books, less than half the number it really needs, and gets

up to four calls a day from the Department of Human Services asking for carers.

"We're on call to child protection at night and we're just seeing an influx of young people coming into care and who need a supportive and safe environment," WEAC chief executive Maureen Buck said.

"In a lot of the circumstances, it's not the fault of the young people."

Foster carers Vera and Grahame were moved to become WEAC volunteers after noticing that a boy in their son's class was having trouble at home. The pair, whose surnames the Weekly has not printed in order to uphold a child protection order, now look after two teenagers.

Vera said foster caring was initially a huge challenge. "We didn't have teenagers. We had two little kids and suddenly we had a 16-year-old on the doorstep. And it was like, 'Oh God'."

The couple initially cared for four girls between 1989 and 1991 and took a break before starting again earlier this year.

The couple's previous ward, Michelle, now 37, has become a part of the family. When she got married, Grahame gave her away.

Vera encouraged people to become foster carers. "We live in what we consider to be a middle class suburb. We all live in a bit of a bubble because we don't actually realise how many children or young people out there that really just need a bit of a crack."

"There's a genuine need out there."