We talk to Sussex Nightstop
15th November 2020
Author EditorPosted on Categories Charity
Alison Marino is Executive Director of Brighton based charity Sussex Nightstop. Sussex Nightstop co-ordinate volunteer hosts who provide a safe place to stay for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Who does Sussex Nightstop help?
Sussex Nightstop provides a safety-net for young people and adults aged 16 upwards in the Brighton & Hove area who may otherwise be forced to sleep rough. The risks of rough-sleeping, including the threat to physical and mental wellbeing, are well known and every night of rough-sleeping worsens the outlook for that person.
Somewhere safe to sleep is essential in people having the means, energy and confidence with which to access the resources and support necessary in securing a safe, longer-term home. Our volunteer hosts provide just that. By opening up their spare room, individuals can sleep well, have a hot meal, access crucial amenities including somewhere private to wash and above all experience kindness in an otherwise bleak situation.
The majority of Nightstop guests have either suffered a family or relationship breakdown or breakdown of their tenancy often brought about by a number of combining pressures such as a strain on finances due to income loss or austerity measures, the challenge of living with poor mental health and a local private rental market increasingly beyond affordability. Regardless of reason, Nightstop guests are individuals – both interesting and interested in life, often working or studying, who have aspirations and plans and who just need a secure place from which to navigate this phase in their life.
What difference has Covid-19 made?
Covid-19 has brought even more anxiety for those facing or experiencing homelessness. Many families and individuals have faced challenging lockdown circumstances and the end of the furlough scheme and the prospect of a recession on the horizon will only precipitate the issues that place people at risk of homelessness.
Never has a community response been so needed and ensuring we have a pool of Volunteer Hosts ready and waiting is a top priority.
Tim Williamson, along with his partner Loretta, is a Volunteer Host at Sussex Nightstop using his spare room as a safe place for Nightstop guests to stay and Tim has recently become a Trustee.
Why did you join Sussex Nightstop?
I can’t quite remember how we heard about Nightstop but I’m glad we did. We have wanted to help with rough sleeping and homelessness for a while and hadn’t found the right way. Nightstop seemed perfect – the idea is so simple: use your spare room to help someone avoid ending up on the streets. We had a spare room so got in contact. Every part of our journey to becoming a host was smooth and well organised and any fears were eased by the extensive and thorough training. The hardest people to convince were our sons but the training really helped here as they were involved. Meeting an actual Nightstop guest was the game changer that got them on side.
So impressed have we been with Nightstop that when I saw they were looking for trustees to join the board I applied immediately and was lucky enough to have been selected. It has been very enlightening seeing it from a Trustee perspective, recognising what we need to do over these coming months to respond to the homelessness crisis which still exists.
What kind of people come to stay with you?
The Nightstop guests we have hosted have all felt strangely familiar. They look and sound just like our teenage sons or their friends. Most are quite happy to keep themselves to themselves after we have shown them their room, taken their clothes to be washed, shown them where the bathroom is and shared our all-important WiFi code! Some want to chat over food or TV and when we talk you realise they are often very articulate, intelligent and driven. Something has happened to them which means they are staying with us but we are trained not to ask, just to listen if they want to share.
Have there been any challenges?
Mostly for us it can be the practical challenge of trying to clear space in our lives to offer a few consecutive nights to offer Nightstop guests. Otherwise the Nightstop team make sure that things run smoothly. The 24 hour on call support is such a reassuring service, even if rarely used, as is the call the following morning with the co-ordinator. Sometimes we just need a reminder from our training about what to do in a particular situation and it is so helpful to be able to chat through a guest we are worried about.
As a trustee CV-19 is certainly presenting us with challenges but it has been so good to re-open this valuable service. We have a clear plan for the coming months and have adapted the service well I think to reassure us as hosts. The adapted training for CV-19 for hosts was excellent.
What do you enjoy about being a host?
Just being able to help someone even if it’s only a little bit.
Here’s how you can help:
• Volunteer Hosts: get trained and supported to offer your spare room to a young person or adult
• Fundraisers: organise activities to raise funds for Sussex Nightstop
• Businesses: talk to us about getting involved
• Spread the word: tell your friends about what we do
For more information on volunteering or to donate visit:
Volunteer enquiries:
www.sussexnightstop.org.uk/contact-us/ or call 07788 318 905
Website: www.sussexnightstop.org.uk
Twitter: @SussexNighstop
Facebook: Sussex Nightstop