When our oldest daughter was still in high school, we took in a friend of hers who was having a tough time living at home. We knew the girl beforehand, and checked her rep with our daughter and with other of her friends we new and felt we could reasonably trust. It turned out for the best, she was a fine guest, and it gave her and her mother time to deal with issues they were having. Now the girl is a staff seagent in the AF, is married to a fine man, and just had a baby boy. She refers to me as daddy and my wife as mommny to this day.

I would not normally open my house and our lives up to this sort of compromise, but there are some risks worth taking, especially if you do your homework beforehand. Nothing is ever for sure, you just have to do what you feel is right, and learn from the outcome of your decisions.