WAYS YOU CAN VOLUNTEER TO HELP END YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE

If you’re passionate about making a difference and believe in providing safe housing for young people facing homelessness, and looking for volunteering in Gloucestershire, volunteering with Gloucestershire Nightstop is an incredible opportunity. By offering temporary accommodation and support, you can help these vulnerable individuals regain stability and work towards a brighter future.

Volunteering with us not only allows you to directly impact the lives of young people in need but also provides personal growth and fulfillment. Whether you have a spare room and a couple of nights a month, or a car and a few hours a week, or are looking for a more long-term commitment, we have various volunteer roles available, including hosting, transportation assistance, befriending and Daystop support. Join our compassionate community, develop valuable skills, and be part of positive change. Together, we can ensure that no young person in Gloucestershire faces homelessness alone.

ways you can volunteer IN gLOUCESTERSHIRE

Emergency Accommodation Host

Provide a ‘Shortstop night’ to a homeless young person 

Support 16-25 year olds one night at a time 

Make a real difference 

We risk assess young people before placement

Help young people become independent 

APPLY TO BECOME A SHORTSTOP HOST

Long Term Accommodation Host

Provide a Safe Accommodation to a homeless young person 

Make a real difference 

We risk assess young people before placement

Help young people become independent

24 hour on call support

Rent guarantee

Full Training and Supervision

Trial stay and introductions before commitment 

A dedicated advice and support worker 


APPLY TO BECOME A LONGSTOP HOST

Driving

Transport young homeless people to and from Host households 

Act as the warm and welcoming faces of Nightstop 

Flexible around your schedule and expenses are covered 

APPLY TO BECOME A DRIVER

BEFRIENDING

Provide emotional support for young homeless people 

Enhance a young person’s well-being and self-esteem 

Tackle loneliness and social isolation 

Offer a listening ear and make a real difference 

Have fun and develop your listening skills 

Use your lived experience of homeless services

APPLY TO BECOME A BEFRIENDER

WHAT OUR VOLUNTEERS IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE HAVE TO SAY

1st night was quiet, you don’t know the young person and they don’t know you. You get up the next morning and ask them how they slept, how they feel and the one thing that does come across 9 time out of 10 is that “I feel safe.”

I think its a nice thing, quite a few of these young people still keep in touch, so you do have a friend as well, which I think is good.  

It is an honour to be able to provide an evening or two under my roof for these vulnerable young men. All of my visitors have enriched my understanding. A few have left me feeling uplifted by their visit. One was so full of humour and fun that he raised me out of a black mood. He has since gone on to work as a carer, where I’m sure he is doing a fantastic job. 

It keeps me alive if you know what I mean, It keeps me in touch with what’s going, it forces me to do things I wouldn’t normally do, we go on long walks, we go to concerts, we go to theatres, things in the past I probably wouldn’t have done. 

It can vary, sometimes they stay for a couple of months, the current young person I have with me now has been with me 2 years and the transformation has been amazing. Has been forced out of their home by their parents ended up sofa sleeping after sleeping rough on the streets so he was very wary of people, so initially it was somewhat difficult, but as time goes by you get to understand how their mind works and things like. He went from someone who was very antisocial to someone who is now working and will hopefully, in the next couple of months, move on.

It’s a really lovely way of giving something back, we’re only doing a teeny tiny bit to help and there are so many people who need help and it’s a really important thing to do if you have the space to do it.

There’s a very fine line between a young person who is doing ok and a young person who isn’t and it could just pivot on 1 friend or 1 incident and start a downward spiral and it felt like Nightstop was able to interrupt that spiral.

My experience as a host is good. I am well supported by the team and I know the checks are thorough and risks are made minimal due to ensure mine and Kara’s safety. I like that you try to match hosts to guests that would best suit their life styles. Also that I’m under no pressure to host and can have breaks when needed, plus no guilt for when I’m not available to host.