Nottingham Nightstop is an initiative to prevent youth homelessness, born out of the desire to ensure that all young people have access to safe and secure accommodation appropriate to their needs.

The Nightstop concept is simple: it provides safe emergency overnight accommodation in the homes of trained volunteer host families, to young people aged 16-25 who are at the point of becoming homeless, on a night at a time basis until more permanent and appropriate accommodation can be found.

Young people access the scheme after being referred by a youth or homelessness agency across the county. The scheme offers the young person a safe place to stay, a listening ear and ‘breathing space' to work through their options. In doing so, Nottingham Nightstop provides a safety net at a moment of great vulnerability.

Nottingham Nightstop volunteers are ordinary people who are willing to open the door of their home for a few nights a month to help young people in need, or who offer their time to help Nightstop in other ways.

About half of young people referred to Nightstop schemes are under 18. The length of a stay is typically three or four nights on a night at a time basis.

Nottingham Nightstop also runs a Befriending and Mentoring Programme to support young people after their stay on the scheme.  Almost every young person hosted has suffered a breakdown in their normal support networks and lacks a trusted adult to help them negotiate the transition into independent living.  Existing mentoring services for young people are tied to particular housing or educational services and do not offer ongoing or holistic support. 

Volunteer mentors provide mentoring and befriending to young people that is not conditional on their engagement with particular support services.  Mentors help young people identify goals and access appropriate services, but also offer friendship, a listening ear and a stable supportive relationship in a young person's life.