Couple open up home to strangers
A COUPLE from Newcastle open their home once a month to strangers who are at risk of homelessness.
Hannah Ashman, 33, and her partner Clare volunteer with the Nightstop service based in the North East, which is in urgent need of volunteers so that they can continue to be there for young people who are sleeping rough.
Across the North East, from 2022 to 2023, Nightstop volunteers have provided over 200 safe nights for more than 30 young people at risk of homelessness. Both Hannah and Clare get a lot of joy out of meeting people, and they have learned a lot from the young people who come to stay with them for the night.
The couple bought their first home last year, a Victorian terrace house, with three bedrooms. Hannah, who is a music therapist, said: “We know how lucky we are to own a house in our early thirties, so we wanted to make sure that we were putting our spare room to good use.
“I discovered Nightstop because I saw people going in and out of the church building on the street we were living in before we bought our house, and found out that it was being used to help young people find somewhere to stay for the night.
“Then I met someone at a singing group who told me more about the service, and how much training and support is given, so it seemed like a nobrainer to me to sign-up.
“I think there’s still so much stigma about homelessness and the causes behind it. All the young people who come to stay are really vulnerable, and it’s not their fault they need the service. “They’re often also very scared, and tired. Every time we’ve had someone to stay, it’s worked out really well, and the Nightstop team is always at the end of the phone for both of us and the young person if we need them. I think the service is really thoughtful about who they place the hosts with. It’s that balance to give them space to do their own thing and opening opportunities to chat and do something normal.”
Someone who needed the service was Jasmine (not her real name). She said: “I was working part-time, around 20 hours a week, studying for my finals, and had just been diagnosed with autism, but at no point was I ever going to miss those exams, I’d worked too hard to get to this point. “I slept in my car for nearly a week and had to spend my tight student budget on basic survival things like a blanket, bottled water, wet wipes and a glass so I could brush my teeth. I was at a breaking point before I reached out to Nightstop. I was invited into the Nightstop office, where there’s a communal space, so I got out my laptop and did some of my uni work.
“In the background, Anna, the person working at Nightstop, found a couple who volunteer for the service, and they offered up a room that evening.”
All the young people who come to stay are really vulnerable, and it’s not their fault they need the service Hannah Ashman