This winter there are thousands of young people in the UK with no safe place to live or regular bed to sleep in.
Many have been through family breakdown and violence but don’t know that help is available. Others have nowhere to go because of soaring rents and unaffordable bills.
Some may be visible on the streets, but more often their homelessness is hidden. And so are the dangers.
Many homeless young people turn to friends for a place to bed down, stay with people they may only just have met, or simply find ways to stay out and awake all night – riding on buses or socialising all hours, only to find themselves in unsafe situations.
Jasmine, a student from the North East, slept in her car for a week after a family breakdown meant she had nowhere to go:
“I didn’t know who to turn to, I was struggling mentally, and I felt really lonely.”
Watch Jasmine’s story:
Living like this poses extraordinary risks for young people. Young people like Jasmine can become easy targets for abuse and exploitation.
Nightstop is our national emergency service for young people at risk of homelessness. Trained and vetted volunteers’ welcome young people into their own homes, provide a safe and warm place to sleep, a hot meal, and a listening ear. Nightstop can arrange a comfortable and safe place for a young person to stay within a few hours.
Jasmine said:
“Anna the Nightstop coordinator was so helpful and understanding. She worked to find me a place to stay, and a couple agreed to host me the same evening. [Their house] felt so peaceful and calm compared to the busy City Centre I’d been parked up in.”
By donating to Depaul UK, you can transform the life of a young person like Jasmine by getting them to a safe place when they really need it. For many like Jasmine, a night with a Nightstop host, and the accompanying support and care given by our staff, is all they need to find the strength to start again.
Jasmine said:
“When I left Nightstop, I felt like nothing I could do would be good enough to thank them. It had such a positive effect on my life.”
Will you help a young person reach a safe place?
*The story is told in Jasmine’s own words. An actor was used in the film and names have been changed to protect their privacy.
