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I was homeless and you took me in

How can Christians respond to the growing problem of homeless young people? DAVID HARRIS and MAREN FLOHREN describe the work of Nightstop UK, a national scheme which is helping to make a difference

Anne, who is 19 years old, lives in Lancashire and first became homeless when she was 16. After some weeks of sleeping rough with friends, she was offered a place in a local hostel. “It was just so scary,” says Anne. “I saw things I never should have seen when I was so young. Strange people would knock on my door in the middle of the night. It was my first real contact with drug users, and I came across needles everywhere. Even some of the staff used drugs in the hostel. In the end, I left and went back to the streets – it just felt safer there.”

As homeless young people become younger, Anne’s experiences are not unique. As part of our work for Nightstop UK – a national charity supporting homeless young people – we have been collecting the direct views of young people who have had early experiences of being homeless.

The first Nightstop scheme was established in Leeds in 1987 by a group of Christians who were concerned that there were not enough alternatives for homeless young people to the kind of hostels referred to by Anne. Individuals from local faith groups volunteered to take young people into their own homes for up to three nights to give time for families to resolve their difficulties, or for local statutory and voluntary organisations to work on longer term solutions where this was not possible or appropriate.

There are now 42 Night-stop schemes from Exeter to South Lanarkshire; and from Wrexham to Sittingbourne. Greg Thomson, Nightstop UK’s Chief Executive says: “Churches and faith groups are still responding to the issues of youth homelessness in their areas in this very direct way of caring – along with representatives of other organisations and groups.”

The need for innovative, caring responses to youth homelessness is as great as ever. Susan lives in the Midlands and first became homeless when she was 14, following seemingly endless rows with her mum. At first, “leaving home seemed like a really glamorous thing to do,” she said. The reality, however, was less than glamorous. Months spent sleeping in the park, and dodging the Police and Social Services who were understandably concerned for her welfare, led to Susan missing school, losing touch with her friends, and growing up very quickly. She was kept going by her best mate who kept slipping her food and clothes, and keeping her whereabouts secret.

The good news is that both Anne and Susan now have places of their own. Anne, her partner and their child have a council flat; and Susan is in a supported flat. Both are keenly aware, however, that there are many other younger teenagers following them who are “seeing things they shouldn’t have seen”, and striving to survive in parks, public buildings and on the streets. “There should be more hostels for under-16s who leave home,” says Anne, “but they have got to feel safe.”

Julie from Preston has slept on the Guildhall steps, in the railway station, and “in a number of houses where I didn’t feel safe. It’s not too bad in the summer,” she says, “but it’s awful in the winter.” One of the main problems that Julie and other young homeless people say that they face is the sheer boredom and monotony of each day. “I never thought I would miss school, but at least it was somewhere to go when it was cold.”

Jimmy, who drifted down to the North of England from Scotland, feels that much depends on luck. “You either get in with a good crowd; or you get in with the wrong people. I’ve been lucky, but I know plenty who haven’t.”

The easy response to the number of younger teenagers who are homeless is to say that they shouldn’t be there! As they are children in the eyes of the law, the statutory authorities – particularly Social Services – surely must have a responsibility to care for them.

Sadly, we found a high level of distrust and scepticism towards Social Services from the young people we spoke to. Rightly or wrongly, many perceived the statutory agencies as seeking to control, rather than to listen and help. This perception may not be based on any direct experience of the young person, so much as on what friends have told them; or an attitude shaped by their recent experiences towards any kind of authority.

Whatever the reason, for many younger homeless people in Britain today the police and Social Services are seen as agencies to avoid, outwit or dodge. Where official help had been offered, it was not always felt to be in a form that young people felt they could accept. “Social Services wanted more information than I was prepared to give them at that time,” said Cathy from the North West, who spent longer on the streets than she would have otherwise have chosen.

Young people who have experienced the “breathing space” offered by Nightstop volunteers in their own homes have found the experience to be a useful bridge between the streets and more appropriate alternatives. “They knew everything about my background, and they still helped me,” said one young person who had stayed with Nightstop hosts in Bradford. “Without the help of Nightstop, I would have been on the streets.”

It is sometimes easy to think that there is nothing that Christians can do to help the issues faced by the young people in their communities like Anne, Susan, Julie, Jimmy and Cathy. Happily, the experience of almost 300 Nightstop hosts throughout the UK tells a different story.

David Harris and Maren Flohren work for Nightstop UK, the national youth homelessness charity that supports volunteers who offer temporary accommodation to homeless young people in their own homes. For more information, contact Nightstop UK, 45A Otley Road, Shipley BD18 3PY. Telephone 01247 533004. E-mail: info@nightstop-uk.org web: www.nightstop-uk.org

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		I was homeless and you took me in How can Christians respond to the growing problem of homeless young people? DAVID HARRIS and MAREN FLOHREN describe the work of Nightstop UK, a national scheme which is helping to make a difference Anne, who is 19 years old, lives in Lancashire and first became homeless when she was 16. After some weeks of sleeping rough with friends, she was offered a place in a local hostel. “It was just so scary,” says Anne. “I saw things I never should have seen when I was so young. Strange people would knock on my door in the middle of the night. It was my first real contact with drug users, and I came across needles everywhere. Even some of the staff used drugs in the hostel. In the end, I left and went back to the streets – it just felt safer there.” As homeless young people become younger, Anne’s experiences are not unique. As part of our work for Nightstop UK – a national charity supporting homeless young people – we have been collecting the direct views of young people who have had early experiences of being homeless. The first Nightstop scheme was established in Leeds in 1987 by a group of Christians who were concerned that there were not enough alternatives for homeless young people to the kind of hostels referred to by Anne. Individuals from local faith groups volunteered to take young people into their own homes for up to three nights to give time for families to resolve their difficulties, or for local statutory and voluntary organisations to work on longer term solutions where this was not possible or appropriate. There are now 42 Night-stop schemes from Exeter to South Lanarkshire; and from Wrexham to Sittingbourne. Greg Thomson, Nightstop UK’s Chief Executive says: “Churches and faith groups are still responding to the issues of youth homelessness in their areas in this very direct way of caring – along with representatives of other organisations and groups.” The need for innovative, caring responses to youth homelessness is as great as ever. Susan lives in the Midlands and first became homeless when she was 14, following seemingly endless rows with her mum. At first, “leaving home seemed like a really glamorous thing to do,” she said. The reality, however, was less than glamorous. Months spent sleeping in the park, and dodging the Police and Social Services who were understandably concerned for her welfare, led to Susan missing school, losing touch with her friends, and growing up very quickly. She was kept going by her best mate who kept slipping her food and clothes, and keeping her whereabouts secret. The good news is that both Anne and Susan now have places of their own. Anne, her partner and their child have a council flat; and Susan is in a supported flat. Both are keenly aware, however, that there are many other younger teenagers following them who are “seeing things they shouldn’t have seen”, and striving to survive in parks, public buildings and on the streets. “There should be more hostels for under-16s who leave home,” says Anne, “but they have got to feel safe.” Julie from Preston has slept on the Guildhall steps, in the railway station, and “in a number of houses where I didn’t feel safe. It’s not too bad in the summer,” she says, “but it’s awful in the winter.” One of the main problems that Julie and other young homeless people say that they face is the sheer boredom and monotony of each day. “I never thought I would miss school, but at least it was somewhere to go when it was cold.” Jimmy, who drifted down to the North of England from Scotland, feels that much depends on luck. “You either get in with a good crowd; or you get in with the wrong people. I’ve been lucky, but I know plenty who haven’t.” The easy response to the number of younger teenagers who are homeless is to say that they shouldn’t be there! As they are children in the eyes of the law, the statutory authorities – particularly Social Services – surely must have a responsibility to care for them. Sadly, we found a high level of distrust and scepticism towards Social Services from the young people we spoke to. Rightly or wrongly, many perceived the statutory agencies as seeking to control, rather than to listen and help. This perception may not be based on any direct experience of the young person, so much as on what friends have told them; or an attitude shaped by their recent experiences towards any kind of authority. Whatever the reason, for many younger homeless people in Britain today the police and Social Services are seen as agencies to avoid, outwit or dodge. Where official help had been offered, it was not always felt to be in a form that young people felt they could accept. “Social Services wanted more information than I was prepared to give them at that time,” said Cathy from the North West, who spent longer on the streets than she would have otherwise have chosen. Young people who have experienced the “breathing space” offered by Nightstop volunteers in their own homes have found the experience to be a useful bridge between the streets and more appropriate alternatives. “They knew everything about my background, and they still helped me,” said one young person who had stayed with Nightstop hosts in Bradford. “Without the help of Nightstop, I would have been on the streets.” It is sometimes easy to think that there is nothing that Christians can do to help the issues faced by the young people in their communities like Anne, Susan, Julie, Jimmy and Cathy. Happily, the experience of almost 300 Nightstop hosts throughout the UK tells a different story. David Harris and Maren Flohren work for Nightstop UK, the national youth homelessness charity that supports volunteers who offer temporary accommodation to homeless young people in their own homes. For more information, contact Nightstop UK, 45A Otley Road, Shipley BD18 3PY. Telephone 01247 533004. E-mail: info@nightstop-uk.org web: www.nightstop-uk.org © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.