Plea for hosts to keep young people off streets

The Dorset Nightstop team from Action for Children (from left to right) Hibrey Hunter, Maddy Lewis-Smith, Katy Overton and Lynn Giles

A service offering young people at risk of homelessness a safe place to sleep is urging more people to volunteer.

The Action for Children Dorset Nightstop initiative has been running since 2009, pairing young people with volunteer hosts.

The young people, aged between 16 and 25, are often referred via Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, but can also be self-referred.

But the Nightstop team said many volunteers were based in rural Dorset, meaning those being helped could feel far away from their day-to-day lives.

Talking to BBC Breakfast in Dorset host Steve Harris, service co-ordinator Maddy Lewis-Smith said there was a need for more hosts in the BCP area.

She explained: "We're really grateful for the hosts we have [but] we don't have as many in the BCP area and that causes problems for young people whose lives are in that area, they might be in college, they might be working, they'll have appointments to attend."

Trained volunteer hosts offer a room in their home for a young person to stay short-term, while teams work to find them more suitable accommodation.

Ms Lewis-Smith continued: "They might be sofa surfing, they might have slept rough.

"The aim is for that not to become the norm, so it's really early prevention to try and stop homelessness for young people."

The Nightstop team is looking for more volunteer hosts in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area

Data from the Dorset Nightstop team shows volunteer hosts have provided 163% more "bed nights" in the past two years, than the previous two years.

They also showed 54% of the referrals are coming from the BCP area.

Service manager Lynn Giles said: “We carefully consider everyone. We are conscious of taking young people who live in urban areas and offering them a stay at a village some distance away in rural Dorset.

"We explain where they’re going and offer an option to opt out. Some people decide at the 11th hour it’s not for them."

The service currently has about 30 volunteer hosts, like Kate Reid, who has been hosting with her husband Andy for three years.

She said: "We always have some pizza in the fridge, we explain how we work as a family, show them the room, give them somewhere safe to stay and really just time and a little bit of support - as much as we can do, to help them on their way.

"Everyone has responded very well to trust, they're often quite nervous or have come from quite difficult circumstances - there can be all sorts of reasons why they need that short-term support."

Ms Giles said they also work with Bournemouth and Poole College and a number of local organisations to help young people most in need.

She said: "I remain in awe of the generosity of volunteer hosts who open their homes, and the positive impact this has on their young guests.”