A REDDITCH homelessness charity has launched an appeal to help young people reach a safe place at night.
Redditch Nightstop has issued a rallying call for volunteers in the community and surrounding areas to help young people move on to safer, more stable accommodation by becoming a volunteer.
The charity warns that an increasing number of young people are experiencing dangers because they are forced to live on the streets.
Nightstop added the combination of increased debt, spiralling bills and low incomes could lead to pressure in households, causing family and relationship breakdowns, one of the key causes behind the increase of young people vulnerable to homelessness.
Redditch Nightstop needs to recruit five emergency accommodation hosts and three supported lodgings hosts in the next 12 months.
Nightstop is a national emergency accommodation service where trained and vetted volunteer hosts open up their homes to a young person at risk of homelessness, providing a safe place to sleep, a hot meal, and a listening ear.
Communities and charities run Nightstops in more than 25 locations around the UK, led and supported by the Nightstop team at Depaul UK.
Depaul UK has released this short video for people to learn more about what becoming a Nightstop host is all about.
Nicola Harwood, executive director of operations from Depaul UK, said: “Homelessness poses extraordinary risks. Exhausted, uncertain, and with few options, young people can become easy targets for abuse and exploitation.
“Anything may seem better than sleeping rough – young people who have nowhere to go, may accept an offer to stay with someone they’ve just met, only to find themselves among much older and sometimes predatory people.
“Nightstop provides emergency accommodation and offers a lifeline to many young homeless people in crisis.
“We help those sleeping on the streets tonight and ensure that others who have run out of options never have to sleep in unsafe places.
“It’s vital that young people know that they’re not alone, that this is temporary, and that they have their whole lives ahead of them.”
Anyone interested in becoming a host can call call 01527 66036, email [email protected] or visit Redditch Nightstop’s website at redditchnightstop.co.uk for more.
