We need more volunteers to stop youngsters sleeping on the streets

A Devon homeless charity says it urgently needs more host families to offer emergency overnight accommodation - as they don't want to have to turn youngsters away.

Nightstop South Devon works with other agencies to also help the young people get back on their feet. Last year the charity's trained and vetted volunteer hosts provided more than 200 safe nights of accommodation to young people at risk of homelessness.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "The service relies on the kindness of volunteers with a spare bedroom which they are willing to offer to a guest.

"Not only does the volunteer host provide the guest with a safe place to stay, a hot meal and the opportunity to wash, they also provide a listening ear to make the guest feel comfortable and secure.

"During their stay, Nightstop staff will work to find somewhere more permanent for the young person, and offer any additional support they might need."

Lydia Kendall-McDougall, Nightstop and Supported Lodgings Network Officer added: “While the people that access Nightstop are the passion that drives our work, our volunteers are the life-blood which keeps our vital service running.

"Our volunteers may come from all backgrounds but they have one thing in common – they want to make sure no young person sleeps in an unsafe place ever again. We support hosts and guests every step of the way which offers them great peace of mind. It’s such a fantastic initiative to be part of.”

Case study

‘K’. now 19, who now lives in shared accommodation in Paignton became homeless last year after his home life became unbearable.

Thanks to the kindness of volunteers who work with Nightstop, K was offered a safe place to stay overnight, and was helped to find temporary accommodation.

He said: “There’s six people in my house now, we all share a kitchen and bathroom, the neighbours can be loud at times, but mostly it’s OK, and I’m grateful for a place to live until I can afford something else. It’s better than the alternative, which is sofa surfing, or sleeping rough.

“I’ve always been hard-working, and somehow I managed to stay in college throughout my period of homelessness.

“I’m doing an apprenticeship in bricklaying and construction and I was at college one day when I heard about Nightstop, the emergency accommodation service, but they’re so much more than that.

“I gave them a call and was invited to meet someone from the service pretty much the same day. I told them I was barely getting by sofa surfing, and they quickly found a local couple who volunteered for the service who were willing to host me for the night. I was so relieved to have somewhere proper to sleep – a warm comfortable room, bed, a hot meal, and a shower. The couple that hosted me are legends, and their kindness means more to me than they’ll ever know.

Experiences from hosts

RAF veteran, Tony, 77 and his wife, Clare live in a 3-bedroom bungalow in Hookhills, Paignton, with their two cats. Speaking about their hosting experience, Tony said: “My children flew the nest years ago, but I know that if ever they were facing difficulties, I’d want someone to help them. That’s how I think about it. Clare and I enjoy hosting a lot. We don’t have people all the time, but when the young people arrive with their Nightstop co-ordinator, often, they’ll just want to go to their room, which we’ve set up for them with a TV, clean linen, and an Echo Dot so they can listen to music or whatever they want to do. Basically, the most important thing we can do as hosts is be led by the young person.

“Hosting for us is really rewarding, it’s a small thing that we do, which could have a huge impact on someone else just starting to find their way in life. When they must leave the next day, I'll pack them a lunch, and wish them all the very best. It’s hard not knowing what happens after that, but we have done our job, and we are only here to provide help at a particular time when they are most vulnerable. Nightstop is a well-oiled machine, with so many things in place to keep everyone safe, so it’s a privilege to play a single part in it, during someone else’s journey.”

Jo, is a youth support worker from Devon. She lives with her self-employed partner Mark and dog, Luna. They host young people frequently. Jo said: “When I tell people for the first time that we host young people, at risk of homelessness in our home for the night as and when they need, they’re often surprised. Questions I often get asked include: “Aren’t you anxious about letting a stranger into your home?” My response is always: “Any concerns we initially had is nothing compared to the anxiety the homeless young people are feeling! As hosts we have never felt at risk. Imagine sleeping rough, or sofa surfing, for days or weeks then turning up at the house of someone you don't know, to stay the night…” These are young people, usually in their late teens, left homeless through no fault of their own - some have been victims of domestic violence, or have parents who don’t want, or can’t help them, they can’t be blamed for the situation they’ve found themselves in.

“That is why, as soon as we open the door to any young person Nightstop has carefully assessed and asked us to host, we welcome them in with a warm smile, show them their room, share some basic information about how we run the house and ask whether they’d like to join us for dinner. Nine times out of ten, they just want to stay in their room, often exhausted, but happy for somewhere clean, safe, and warm to stay for the night.

For more about Nightstop click here

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