Getting to Know Bristol Nightstop - A project by Caring in Bristol
Posted on: 22 Oct 2014This week our Getting to Know Bristol feature is about Bristol Nightstop - a Caring in Bristol project to help homeless people aged 16-25 in and around our City. We chatted to one of the organisers Matt Dowse to find out more.
When did you set up Bristol Nightstop and what are its aims and objectives?
Bristol Nightstop has been running since July 2014. In that time our three full time members of staff have supported around 130 young people and our hosts have provided around 450 nights of emergency accommodation keeping young people off the streets and away from staying in unsafe situations. We aim to support any young person who finds themselves at risk of homelessness by providing emergency accommodation in the homes of our Bristol Nightstop Hosts. These are volunteers who have a spare room in their home. At the moment we have 25 host households in the city and are always looking for more. These are unsung heroes - Fantastic people doing a fantastic job. We vet and train our hosts and make sure that they have 24 hour support from the staff team.
We hear a lot of figures banded around by the Council and other professional bodies, how many homeless people are there really in Bristol?
In reality the published figures about homelessness are only the tip of the iceberg. So many people are in very difficult situations when it comes to having a place to live. At the moment we are hosting 2 to 3 young people every night of the week. These are people who would not be counted as homeless but still have nowhere to stay….
What are the best things people can do to help alleviate homelessness?
Provide affordable accommodation that is secure and provide support for people who can’t get support anywhere else – so it might be offering to rent a room cheaply if you can. Sometimes that support is as simple as offering advice or helping them to explain their situation to services that can help them. Most of the time people experiencing homelessness are no different from anyone else. Often their stories are of small things going wrong that lead to a crisis situation. Battling homelessness needs resilience and determination and often people need help to build this in themselves. If you can help a person who is in trouble in this way then that’s a step forward. But the lack of affordable homes and poverty is the main cause.
You are concentrating on the 16-25 age bracket, what help is available to older people affected by homelessness?
There is support through the council but in many cases people can’t get the support that they need. Caring in Bristol (the charity that runs Bristol Nightstop) publish a survival guide for those people in the city who are in trouble. You can find this on our website www.caringinbristol.co.uk/about/survival-handbook and it contains all of the information that you need to find a service or project to help you.
How are you letting those in need know about your services?
We take referrals from the council and from any organisations that work with young people. We take self referrals too, often young people are given our number when they go into other projects and can’t get help. We are based at The Station on Silver Street, BS1 2AG, and have a number to call – 07979 878814
How do you find running a charity in Bristol? What do you need to help make Bristol Nightstop a success?
Funding is always a problem for projects like Bristol Nightstop and we are currently applying for funding from the National Lottery to run the project for another 4 years. We are currently funded by the Homelessness Transition Fund but that ends in December 2014. So money is an issue. And to make this project a real success we need to be able to offer hosting every night of the week so we always need more hosts.
Where do you see Bristol Nightstop in 5 years time?
A full time project which is delivering to support young people who need our help and which is funded for the foreseeable future. In an ideal world, like many organisations that support the most vulnerable in our society, we would like to shut up shop and say that there was not a need for our work…..
What advice would you give to any aspiring Bristol non-profit making organisations?
We would advise that if you put your mind to it, are well organised, find the right support and employ great people then you can get on with it and make a difference. It might seem simple but the best way to design a project is to find a problem that needs to be solved and design a project that deals with that problem….
If you were Mayor of Bristol for a day which one thing would you change?
For one day? Free buses, no cars and open City Hall for a night and get out the blow up beds.
For more information about Bristol Nightstop please visit www.bristolnightstop.org.uk or connect with them via Facebook.
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
