Do you have a spare room?

Volunteers needed to provide emergency accommodation.

The team is reaching out to the local community to see if anyone would be interested in offering their spare room to host young people at risk of homelessness, whilst Redditch Nightstop work to find permanent accommodation for the young person.  Redditch Nightstop support hosts and guests every step of the way.  If you would like to know more, please get in touch with the team at info@redditchnightstop.co.uk.

Urgent call for volunteers living in and around Redditch with a spare room to host young people at risk of homelessness

Emergency accommodation service Nightstop urgently needs volunteers in Redditch so they can continue to be there for young people who are at risk of sleeping rough.

The service relies on the kindness of trained and vetted 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.

Robert, 65 and his wife Barbara, 62 have been hosting young people across Redditch, at risk of homelessness, in their spare room for over 12 years after being inspired by their daughter.

They said: “Both our daughters left home some years ago, leaving us with a lot of extra space which we wanted to put to good use. We’ve lost count of the number of young people who have come to stay with us, mostly for one night, sometimes a couple of nights, sometimes a few more depending on what our plans are and their needs as well”.

Barbara, who took early retirement from being a Prison Governor said that she’s seen the transformative effect of Nightstop support: “One lad who came to stay for the night really sticks out in my mind. He was a teenager, and had had a rough time. We spoke to him over dinner and you could see he really appreciated the opportunity to talk and wanted to spend time with us. He was a sweet lad. You are always led by the young person, sometimes they want to talk, sometimes they want to be silent and want to keep to themselves. It is usually very daunting for them coming into a stranger’s home”.

The couple said that most young people who arrive at their door, “are usually exhausted, full of anxiety and often shell shocked by whatever has happened to them”.

Robert, who was an engineer for the BBC before he also retired, remembers another young lad, who arrived with a full set of sonic screwdrivers, and very few other belongings on him when he arrived to stay for the night: “They were his prize possession. When he found out that I had an engineering background, and had worked for the BBC he was asking me all sorts of questions, and we had a great time chatting that night. He was asking me all about Doctor Who, as he was a big fan of the show”.

Barbara said: “Recently, we lost our huge fluffy dog called Duke, but when he was here, he was a great ice-breaker and everyone that came to stay would want to be with him. Duke would often sit next to the people who arrived, probably sensing they needed some extra love and possibly for any extra food that might come his way. I remember, one young man fed him half his dinner without us knowing.

“When we can host, we let the Nightstop team know, and they’ll give us some information beforehand about the person. Potential young people are always well assessed and deemed suitable to come, and we have never felt at any risk from them. Now we have rescue cats so we introduce the young person to them, show them their room and let them know what’s available for dinner, usually it’s something like pizza, and ice cream for dessert. We always give them something familiar. In an emergency placement, it’s not appropriate to attempt to inflict on them anything unfamiliar. We share the Wifi code – they always need that – and I have accumulated various phone chargers so I have one to hand if necessary”, added Robert.

The couple said it’s a huge privilege to be able to host young people for the night, so that they have the space and time to be helped by the Nightstop team in the office who support them and if appropriate find them longer-term accommodation.

They find the experience really rewarding, and would encourage anyone thinking of volunteering, to get more information and consider applying to be a host, and ‘give it a go’ if they have room to spare.

“The training and support you get from the Nightstop team is exceptional”, they added. “And it’s one of the most practical ways you can help young people who, usually through no fault of their own, have been left vulnerable to rough sleeping.”

Lydia Kendall-McDougall, Nightstop and Supported Lodgings Network Officer said: “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.”

If you’re interested in discovering more about Nightstop and how it helps people across Redditch, visit www.redditchnightstop.co.uk for more information.