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Help homeless to sleep soundly
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| Education and outreach worker Esther Wanjie and volunteer coordinator Isabel Negreira |
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Nightstop volunteers put homeless people up for the night. MARK CHANDLER finds out about the Lewisham and Greenwich branch of the charity.
HOMELESS charity Nightstop has been running in Lewisham and Greenwich for 10 years.
Its role is to provide emergency accommodation for 16 to 25-year-olds with nowhere to stay who are referred to the charity by agencies such as Connexions, which provides advice centres for young people, or the Greenwich Housing Aid Centre, a drop-in advice service in Powis Street, Woolwich.
And it also undertakes youth homelessness prevention work.
The branch, based in Delacourt Road, Blackheath, does not have enough volunteer hosts to meet the high demands placed on it by referral agencies.
Interim manager Jo Pollitt said: "We hope to stop young people getting into a cycle of homelessness and becoming more vulnerable.
"By offering one night with a volunteer host, we prevent rough sleeping and give vulnerable young people a little bit of space to think about what to do next."
Ms Pollitt says the charity always meets with its volunteers and visits their homes to make sure they have suitable rooms.
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| Nightstop volunteers Dougal Irvine, Kath Gurnett, Philip Landergan and Jean Spurgeon |
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Volunteers are given training beforehand and talked through any of the issues which might come up during their guest's stay.
Guests will only be young people classed as "low risk" who are well known to their referral agency.
In the future, the charity hopes to offer training to deal with young people who have extra support needs.
Jean Dalrymple, a surveyor from Effingham Road, Lee, contacted Nightstop after seeing an article in a magazine around five years ago.
Since then, she and her 47-year-old husband, Jason, have taken in one person every two months.
The 49-year-old said: "It was only scary the first time because you don't know what to expect.
"Hopefully they get a little bit of home from the experience, with a meal and a bed.
"We don't force the issue of them talking to us in any way but some of them do have some harrowing stories to tell.
"It's actually a bit like having your teenage son bring a friend you don't know over for a
sleepover.
"To an extent it changes your perception of homelessness but it also changes your perception a little bit about teenagers too."
The charity's education and outreach worker, Esther Wanjie, speaks to young people who are already homeless or in danger of becoming so and produces educational material.
She said: "I give them a place to talk about their issues and give them information and guidance about housing options, relationships, jobs and money management."
From next month, she will also start visiting schools and referral centres to give group advice and information.
The branch is affiliated to Youthreach, a charity which offers counselling for young people.
Volunteers are needed to host, promote Nightstop and help with fundraising.
If you are interested in volunteering, call Nightstop on 020 8269 2200 or email Isabeln@
youthreach.org.uk
10:33am Tuesday 25th March 2008
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