Just for One Night – help with youth homelessness in Worcestershire

Local Youth Homelessness Charity Is Seeking Volunteers to Support Their Cause, Just for One Night

Wyre Forest & South Worcestershire Nightstop and Mediation Service is inviting community members to join the charity by becoming volunteer hosts. The role is about offering safe emergency accommodation – Just for One Night – to support vulnerable young people in crisis. We need more hosts than ever now as youth homelessness continues to rise across the county.

At the heart of Wyre Forest & South Worcestershire Nightstop and Mediation’s mission is the unwavering belief that every young person deserves a safe place to sleep. The charity believes that no one should have to face the fear and uncertainty of homelessness, especially in their most formative years, and that’s why they are dedicated to preventing youth homelessness across the districts of Wyre Forest, Wychavon, Worcester City and Malvern Hills in South Worcestershire.

Judith Ford, CEO of Nightstop explained: “Last year, many of the young people we supported had come from a background of social services care and lacked home and family. We believe every young person has the right to a home and future and we will continue to strive to make this happen. We can only do this with the help of our amazing host volunteers who offer a much-needed safe-haven away from difficult home environments such as domestic abuse and neglect. With numbers rising, we desperately need more volunteer hosts to help change a future and offer a home, just for one night: it really can change a life.”

Through their Nightstop service, the charity offers a lifeline—safe emergency accommodation with compassionate, trained volunteer hosts—for young people aged 16-25 who have nowhere else to turn.

Now the charity’s mission is to urgently find more hosts to join their cause. Those interested can find out more by watching a brand-new short film on their website, especially created for the campaign – Just for One Night. The short film features their current dedicated hosts and one of the young people they have supported and is an honest account of what hosting is like. It answers questions for potential new hosts such as how hosting works, if any experience is needed, how rewarding it is, any concerns people might have, and outlines the training, support and expenses that are provided by Nightstop.

“It has been a really positive experience for us…our aim is to try and ensure they (the young people) are in a better position when they leave us than when they come.” Host volunteer

Once young people get trapped in the vicious cycle homelessness, it can be difficult for them to find a way out, which is why youth homelessness services, and early intervention services to prevent a young person from becoming homeless in the first place, are so important (Action for Children, 2023).

“Most young people are so grateful to be offered the choice and to be offered a safe refuge from whatever is going on in their lives – and there is a lot of upset out there.” Cath, Nightstop Volunteer Host

Family breakdown is by far the biggest cause of youth homelessness – according to Centrepoint, 59% of young people who seek support for homelessness cite family breakdown as the primary cause.

Judith continued: “Our homeless young people are often not those you might naturally think of. They may have come away from unsafe home situations and have been sofa surfing for some time without any clear direction. When crisis strikes and they have nowhere to go, they become very vulnerable without a place of safety. It is very concerning and that’s why our Nightstop service is so important and why we desperately need more hosts to support our mission.”

The crucial services that can prevent vulnerable young people from slipping into the vicious cycle of homelessness, have been slashed locally. Worcestershire is in the bottom 5% of local authorities for funding of youth services, and the local area has seen a 96% reduction in spending on youth services since 2010 (YMCA, 2024). A recent blow to local support was the loss of funding for Young People Pathway Worker posts and another reason why more volunteer Nightstop hosts are desperately needed.

Beneficiaries of Wyre Forest & South Worcestershire’s Service explained the difference it has made to them: “I think they are great. Best service I have experienced, and I have experienced a lot being in care and moving about.”, “If this charity didn’t exist there would be more rough sleepers and suicide rates could go up. I say this because of my own experiences.”, “The support I have had from Nightstop has been outstanding; I cannot appreciate them enough. This will impact my future as I will always remember how I got this far.”, “If it wasn’t for Nightstop, I would not be here. That’s a guaranteed fact.”, “Being able to get help at Nightstop… it’s taken me to a higher and better place.”

This is why, for vulnerable young people, staying with a Nightstop host provides a much-needed solution to their homelessness

To find out more about becoming a volunteer host for Nightstop, please email info@wfnightstop.org, call 01562 743111, or visit www.wyreforestnightstop.org.uk/hosting

More about Wyre Forest & South Worcestershire Nightstop and Mediation Service – 

We provide critical support to local young people in crisis by offering safe, emergency accommodation for those aged 16-25. This short-term alternative to sofa surfing, rough sleeping, or inappropriate shelter placements is a lifeline for vulnerable youth, giving them not only safety but also the opportunity to rebuild their lives with dignity and support. Our preventative work includes mediation services for young people aged 11-25 and their families to resolve conflicts, prevent family breakdown, and avoid future homelessness. We also deliver educational programmes in schools to raise awareness and improve communication skills.

This year alone, Wyre Forest Nightstop has provided 239 nights of accommodation, 410 mediation sessions, and 177 crisis support sessions.

Here is some feedback from our beneficiaries:

· “If this charity didn’t exist there would be more rough sleepers and suicide rates could go up. I say this because of my own experiences”.

· “The support I have had from Nightstop has been outstanding; I cannot appreciate them enough. This will impact my future as I will always remember how I got this far.”

· “If it wasn’t for Nightstop, I would not be here. That’s a guaranteed fact.”

· “Being able to get help at Nightstop… it’s taken me to a higher and better place.”