hyh is very proud to launch its new Nightstop Herts service providing short-term emergency accommodation for young people aged 18 to 24, who would otherwise have nowhere else to go.
What makes Nightstop Herts so amazing is that the beds in the scheme are all provided by volunteers, who offer up a spare room in their own homes for up to five nights at a time.
"We’ve learned from calls to our free advice line that there is a need for Nightstop. There is very limited support for the 18 to 24 age group unless they have additional needs,” explained hyh’s Operations Manager TJ Nicholls.
“The aim is to prevent young people from sleeping rough, 'sofa surfing', or staying in unsuitable accommodation where they could be at risk.”
“They may have moved in with partners and the relationship has broken down but they're still working in the area so can’t go back home or they could need breathing space away from the family home because there's conflict, arguments or overcrowding in the house.”
Nightstop Herts is currently able to offer 12 bed spaces across Hertfordshire but we would love to have more.
All hosts are given training and have access to a 24-hour helpline. They can volunteer as little or as often as they like and are always given the final say on whether they want to accept a young person.
Hosts are also paid a fee for each night a young person stays with them.
“It didn’t seem a hard thing to do to - letting someone sleep in the spare room every now and then,” said Nightstop Herts host, Sarah.
“It’s about recognising that everybody needs time and space sometimes. With family it can get pressurised, it can get difficult; there can be deeper-rooted problems as well.”
Nightstop Herts also gives hyh time to work with the young person, helping them access services such as our Mediation team or those delivered by other agencies.
A donation of just £25 will fund one night in Nightstop Herts.
The service has already attracted praise from other local homeless organisations.
“Nightstop Herts is a much-needed service and it’s nice to know that there’s a safe and secure place for 18 to 24 year olds to go and access support,” Charles Gidigbi and Des Carroll from Stevenage Haven told hyh.
Our scheme is affiliated to national youth homelessness charity Depaul UK who ensure the standard of all 33 Nightstop programmes across the country.
For more information about Nightstop Herts and how to become a host, please email