Janice, 59 and husband John, 58 have hosted over 50 young people who were homeless, or at risk of homelessness in their own home, in the centre of Manchester. The couple have dedicated most of their lives to helping others, having undertaken humanitarian aid work in Africa for decades, so when they came back to the UK with their three children, they wanted to continue volunteering and helping others.
Speaking about their experience of hosting for Nightstop, Janice said: “We’ve lost count of the number of people at risk of homelessness that we’ve hosted in our home. We found out about Nightstop through a local foodbank that my husband was volunteering for at the beginning of lockdown and felt that it was a safe way and practical way to help young people when they need it the most.
“A lot of people who stay with us are seeking asylum or they are refugees, and I think the Nightstop service put these young people with us because my husband and I can speak other languages, including Arabic, so that can be a big help for them. It is also a great way of making the young people feel more confident when they arrive to stay.
“Most of the time, when the young people arrive, they just want to go to their rooms, so we show them where they’re staying, give some options for dinner, ask if they want to join us, and give them the WiFi code. Often, the young people are frightened when they show up, some are traumatised, tired or just want to go to their room to speak to family, or friends to let them know they’re safe for the night.
“I remember the first person we hosted, a young man around 19 years old. We were very happy for him to stay longer than a night, as we have the space. He had no idea how to cook, so I asked him what he would like to eat – he said chips and cheese, which is what he’d been living on for years. I suggested some new things he might like to try and he was really keen to learn how to make something else. He even got his notebook out and wrote down everything I said. We started with cheese as a main ingredient, since it was what he wanted initially, and I taught him how to make a toasted cheese sandwich, and how to make rice and omelettes – just really simple stuff, but he thought it was all wonderful.
“My husband and I are very fortunate people so there’s always space at our table. Hosting for Nightstop makes a lot of sense for us. This Christmas, a young man who was staying with us came downstairs during a church meeting and there was a string quartet playing in our living room, so he came in and sat down with us as we sang carols. I don’t think he expected that when he arrived…
“Our friends and family know we host for Nightstop, and they ask a lot of the right questions, about how safe it is etc, and whenever someone discovers what we do, I always say the same thing – it’s very safe, and a really easy thing to do. Nightstop are there for us 24.7, and it’s easy to host if you have a spare room. It can make a huge difference to someone’s life. The people who stay with us don’t need looking after as such, they just need a warm safe place to stay and peace…just like most of us.”
