Sussex Nightstop helping our homeless

Sussex Nightstop is a community response to homelessness, a local resident’s initiative to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. 

Our volunteers understand the limits of what they can personally offer. Nightstop’s professional partners bring the skills and resources necessary to secure long term housing and specialist support. We do not seek to duplicate what others do, but no one else offers what we can. Our hosts are normal (and yet amazing!) people who open their homes to provide a hot meal, a warm welcome and a safe night’s rest. They volunteer the gift of kindness and respect to people often at their lowest ebb. Sussex Nightstop enables this to happen safely for volunteer and guest alike.

Since starting out Sussex Nightstop has enabled 80 volunteer households to provide over 3,800 safe bed nights to 475 vulnerable people. Our support provides a stable foundation from which people can find a safe and more suitable long-term home. We are driven by the fact that every night someone stays with one of our hosts, is a night they are not vulnerable to the dangers of rough-sleeping. On the streets or sofa-surfing, the homeless in our community risk sexual exploitation, substance misuse and coercion into criminal activity.

This year has not been a ‘typical’ year for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Covid-19 has brought even more anxiety for those facing or experiencing homelessness. Many families and individuals have faced challenging lockdown circumstances and the predictions of recession will only precipitate issues that place people at risk of homelessness.

It is vital that we continue our work, facilitating and supporting a community response that makes both practical support and kindness possible at a time where people find themselves in the most bleak of circumstances.

More than ever before Sussex Nightstop finds itself grateful for the financial aid of its corporate allies. The timely support of companies such as archangels Architects and Mortgage Medics with their creative fundraising has given a much needed boost to our finances.

From experience we understand the responsibilities of being a charity working with business and we hope to find other local businesses who see that partnering with us can deliver mutual benefits. If you would like to join our fight against rough-sleeping and think your business could be enhanced by working with Sussex Nightstop please contact us through the links below or speak with our business ambassador Richard Zinzan of Archangels Architects (richard@aaarchitects.co.uk).

Sussex Nightstop is supported and accredited by Depaul UK Homelessness Charity. We are a registered charity (Charity No: 1132386

For contact or further information: manager@sussexnightstop.org.uk or call 07887 492 927
Website: www.sussexnightstop.org.uk
Donations: https://localgiving.org/charity/sussexnightstop/

archangels architects

Here at archangels we are passionate about our community and proud to be Business Ambassador to Sussex Nightstop. This is a brilliant Brighton based charity supporting homeless people aged 16 upwards. Nightstop recruit volunteers, who after selection and training open their spare room to provide a safe, warm bed and a hot meal.

archangels architects, are proud to support this community response to homelessness. Confronted daily with homelessness on our streets it is hard to know what the right thing to do is. For us, Nightstop is a solution we can have confidence in.

One initiative we have promoted is to ask clients who receive our free consultation to donate £25 directly to Nightstop. We also opened our contacts book to sell 30 seats on behalf of Nightstop to the Mayor’s charity gala and raised a further £1300 through pledges at the charity auction. We’ve had great support from the charity and the team have had fun in the process. Most satisfying though is the knowledge we are doing something constructive to help fight homelessness in our community. We encourage other local businesses to join us in supporting this great organisation.

Richard Zinzan, archangels architects

Mortgage Medics

Sussex Nightstop are a homelessness charity that offers accommodation to people who are at risk of rough sleeping. They create and coordinate a community of volunteers who provide access to a safe, non-judgemental, inclusive place to stay for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Mortgage Medics are committed to supporting Sussex Nightstop. That’s why every time we arrange a mortgage for someone lucky enough to own property, we make a donation to Sussex Nightstop, to help them support someone less fortunate.

Sam Murphy – managing director of Mortgage Medics – says: “We’re thrilled to be in partnership with Sussex Nightstop. They do such amazing work; helping young people and adults who are at risk of homelessness.  We’re so proud to support their hardworking team of staff and volunteers. Our days are spent helping those fortunate enough to own property, so it was a natural fit to partner with Sussex Nightstop, to try and help people less fortunate with their housing needs.”