nightstop

To do this we need the help of volunteers. Our scheme is based on the people of Cheshire being willing to open their hearts and homes to vulnerable young people between the ages of 16 and 25. Young people who are homeless will stay for one to three nights in the spare rooms of volunteers who have been fully assessed and trained by Nightstop. All young people are fully risk assessed and matched on an individual basis with hosts. Host volunteers can be any age, provided they have their own home, with a spare room containing a bed and have a passion for helping young people. They can be single people or families. Expenses will be paid and ongoing training will be available. the scheme can provide excellent experience for those wishing to work in social care or progress to becoming a foster carer. It is a fantastic opportunity for ordinary people to give something amazing back to their community.

We also need volunteers to help with transport of young people, fundraising and publicity.

The first Cheshire Nightstop host volunteer, Maria (centre) with two staff members, Frank and Claire.

Maria says "I thought that there must be more to life than just going to work and watching TV. I want to give something back!"

What they said about the Nightstop experience....

"It was purr-fect! Couldn't be better! I loved it!"

(Young person from Bradford Nightstop)

"I thought why should I care about anyone? No one cares about me. Then I found that total strangers cared. It was a real turning point for me."

(Young person from Gloucestershire)

"A common reaction is 'don't they steal from you?' No, it's like your own child, your own grandchild. Would they do that? They do have integrity. It's just that they need a chance to be listened to."

(A host from Teeside Nightstop)

Sometimes young people find themselves in an emergency situation without home or shelter and are likely to face some very bleak and harsh choices. For many, their options will be the sofas and floors of friends or bed and breakfast hotels. These can carry a high risk for a young person experiencing homelessness for the first time, such as being approached for sex, or being offered alcohol and drugs.

The National Picture

Depaul Nightstop UK, a service of the Depaul Trust, enables the development of new Nightstop services and offers training, support and advice to established local Nightstop schemes as well as ensuring that quality standards of practice are maintained.

In the year up to March 2008, 50 local Nightstop schemes across the UK offered in excess of 5200 nights of accommodation utilising the hospitality of over 300 hosting households. Over 81,000 volunteering hours were donated to Nightstop schemes to provide this service.

For more information about how you can help and to request a volunteer information pack, please contact Claire Litherland, Project Development Worker at Housing Options, The Information Centre, 1 The Arcade, Northwich CW9 5AS.

07525 23120

clitherland@valeroyal.gov.uk