By the time a young person calls Nightstop, they may have spent months sleeping on friends’ sofas. When that support runs out, they have nowhere safe to stay.
Nightstop matches young people aged 16 to 25 with trained and vetted volunteer-hosts who offer a room in their own home, along with a hot meal, washing facilities and a listening ear.
Charlie, a Nightstop Coordinator at Depaul UK, understands how frightening that moment can be.
Our first job is to listen and help them feel they are not facing the situation alone.
Your donation could help Nightstop answer that call and find a young person somewhere safe to stay tonight.
When a young person turns to Charlie
Young people contact Nightstop for many reasons, including family breakdown, abuse and mental health challenges.
“When people call Nightstop, they may already have tried several other services,” Charlie explains. “We might be the third or fourth organisation they’ve contacted, so they can understandably feel frustrated.”
You’re not always sure what someone is facing in that moment; they could be in danger. Staying calm and being clear about what we can and can’t do helps build trust from the start.
A welcome that means more than a bed
Staying in a volunteer-host’s home can feel daunting. Charlie explains what a young person can expect:
“It’s all about the people. With Nightstop, someone’s answering the door to you, welcoming you in, providing a hot meal and a friendly face.”
I think how young people feel when they finally get somewhere to stay is often a sense of relief, knowing they have somewhere safe to go that night. They can get a shower, wash their clothes, have a hot meal and their own bed for the night.
Hosts tell Charlie that after a night or two, young guests start to relax.
Nightstop is a community response. Last year, 537 volunteer hosts and drivers across the Nightstop network provided 4,155 safe nights for 405 young people. All supported by donations from people like you.
For Kassi, kindness was a plate of food
Kassi was 21 when she came to Nightstop. She had left home after family conflict and the abuse she suffered, and because she had no family financial support to guarantee her student loan, her application was refused and she was left unable to continue her studies. She sofa-surfed between friends for around four months before those options ran out.
“People lose the things that are very important to them,” Charlie says. “That’s the reality of homelessness.”
Kassi stayed with Nightstop hosts for almost a month, moving between homes every few days.
Honestly he was so lovely, really supportive. I remember one time I fell asleep on the couch there. I woke up and there was a little plate of food he had left for me. I really don’t know what would have happened if Nightstop had not called me back.
“It’s not those big, grand gestures,” Charlie says. “It’s not solving everything about a young person’s situation. Something as simple as providing lunch can make a lasting impact on people.”
£38 could provide a safe bed for the night in a Nightstop host’s home. A listening ear, a hot meal, a shower, and toiletries.
What happened next for Kassi
Support continued beyond her Nightstop stays. The team helped her move into Depaul UK’s Youth Hub, where she had more stable accommodation and support to plan her next steps.
With help from Hub staff, Kassi is returning to university. She has also found a job, and her ambition is to work with young people herself.
For Charlie, seeing young people move forward gives him hope.
There’s so much skill and talent that goes unseen when someone is experiencing homelessness. It’s great to see a young person’s strengths begin to shine.
Young people bring their own determination, skills and goals. Charlie works alongside them as they take their next steps.
My motivation is to catch people who may have fallen through the cracks of other services or local supports. Working alongside them to take those next steps and pursue their own goals is such a privilege.