Terrified of closing her eyes for fear of what might happen, Jodie, 18 found herself homeless on the streets just days before the UK’s first coronavirus lockdown began.
Sitting at a tram stop in Greater Manchester, she spotted a guard and asked him if she could use a telephone to call a friend to ask to stay or even just for some words of comfort.
“The guard just completely blanked me because I was a rough sleeper.” she told HuffPost UK. “He made me feel like I was nothing; like I was scum. It was horrible.”
Jodie described a volatile relationship with her mother and step-father and says she was kicked out by them in March – on her 18th birthday.
“My parents often kicked me out for the night and I would stay at a friend’s house.” she said. “They kicked me out on my 18th birthday as they said they couldn’t handle me any more.
“I stayed with friends a couple of times but then that became more difficult because of the pandemic so I ended up sleeping rough.
“I was too scared to sleep so I was just basically roaming the streets. I had nothing – no money, I didn’t even have any ID.
“The guard just completely blanked me because I was a rough sleeper. He made me feel like I was nothing; like I was scum.”
“I had my phone but it was dead and I had nowhere to charge it and no credit which is why I asked the tram guard if I could make a call.
“It was the first time I’d had to sleep rough and it was absolutely terrifying.”
Jodie ended up sleeping rough for a month.
“I kept getting approached by creepy old men and was defenceless. It was horrible,” she said. “I hung around parks and bus stops and was scared about what might happen if I closed my eyes.”
Jodie only had her hoodie, leggings and shoes and was barely eating. She admits she once shoplifted a packet of biscuits while desperate for food.
She initially didn’t ask anyone for help as she was afraid of being judged and admits she is an anxious person. But she eventually confided in a friend and was told about the Nightstop scheme.
Nightstop is a unique project which relies on community hosting to provide a safe, welcoming place for young people in crisis.
Volunteer hosts open their homes to people facing a night on the streets or in an unsafe place, offering a spare room, a hot meal, breakfast and a packed lunch.
Communities and charities run Nightstops in more than 30 locations around the UK, led and supported by Depaul UK, which directly operates five services in London, the north-east and Cumbria, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Hertfordshire.
Depaul surveyed 116 young people and found they were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Fifty-eight per cent suffered increased anxiety due to their financial situation and 74% had been isolated from family and friends.
Almost a third (32%) said they faced difficulties in finding enough food during lockdown and of these, 83% said it had a negative impact on their mental health.
For young people like Jodie, Nightstop has proved life changing. She says she was nervous about staying with her first host, a man in his 50s, but he was “really nice”.
“He welcomed me and gave me a meal,” she said. “He made good conversation and made me feel normal again.
“It was such a relief. I felt so happy and safe. It was amazing to close my eyes and not worry about what might happen after months of walking the streets.”
Jodie used Nightstop for around two months, moving between three different hosts.
“They were all absolutely lovely people.” she said. “They gave me a roof over my head and made me feel cared about and as if I belonged.”
“It was amazing to close my eyes and not worry about what might happen after months of walking the streets.”
- Jodie, 18
Those who choose to host with Nightstop do so for a variety of reasons.
Jane and Cameron Baines, who live on the Moors just outside Rochdale, Greater Manchester, heard about Nightstop through their church minister and knew they wanted to do something to help others less fortunate.
Jane, 60, is a semi-retired veterinary surgeon and Cameron is a former farmer and local government manager. They have a 15-year-old son at home and plenty of space.
“We felt we had been very blessed in our own lives and wanted to give something back and help people,” said Jane.
Just as they finished their Nightstop training and had their final interviews, the country went into lockdown and the next day the couple were asked if they could host their first young person.
“Doing the training and then suddenly welcoming someone into your home who you don’t know feels like very different things.” admitted Jane. “You build up all these perceptions but as soon as you meet the young person, they fall away and you realise they are just a human being like you are and are far more nervous than you.”
Their first guest was a 20-year-old man. Although the usual Nightstop model involves each host taking in a young person for a few nights, the pandemic meant Cameron and Jane ended up hosting him for five months, during which time he opened up and began to trust the couple, often confiding in Jane during walks.
“We let him have his own space if he wanted to at first, but we made sure we ate together for lunch and our evening meal.” said Cameron, 64.
“Gradually, he began joining in with the banter at mealtimes and we realised he was becoming more comfortable.”
“As soon as you meet the young person, you realise they are just a human being like you are and are far more nervous than you.”
- Jane Baines, a Nightstop host
The couple admit it was difficult when a long term let was found for him and he moved out.
“One of the rules of Nightstop is you don’t pry into what happens after,” said Jane. “But it was a great feeling knowing we had been there for him when he needed it and delivered him to his next place.”
Jane and Cameron have now hosted eight young people and have someone living with them for Christmas. They are able to enjoy the fresh air and help out with the sheep, as well as self-isolate in a camper van on their drive.
“Hearing the stories of these young kids shows that homelessness can happen to anyone. They could easily be our children,” said Jane.
“They are just normal children who have either fallen out with their family or their family have not been able to provide a stable home for them.”
She added: “It is heartbreaking to think they could end up on the streets. Nightstop aims to catch them before they get to that stage and become vulnerable and harder to help.”
“They are just normal children who have either fallen out with their family or their family have not been able to provide a stable home for them. It is heartbreaking to think they could end up on the streets.”
- Jane Baines, a Nightstop host
Treena Raffles, Nightstop co-ordinator for Greater Manchester, said: “Many of our hosts are older and over 70, or were working with vulnerable people or caring for a vulnerable parent, so weren’t able to take someone in.
“The week before lockdown, we had 17 volunteers available to host, but the week after lockdown, this had gone down to just four.”
Raffles said Nightstop were inundated with enquiries and she felt helpless as they began getting greater numbers of self-referrals from those as young as 16.
“Overcrowding at home was one of the main reasons young people had nowhere to stay.” she explained.
“Some were telling us they used to share their bed space so one family member would use the bed during the day and another use it at night. But now everyone was spending all day at home in a one-bedroom flat, there was no room.
“Other young people had been staying with grandparents but could no longer stay with them as they were vulnerable and some had been sofa surfing, but could no longer do this as it wasn’t safe.
“Towards the end of lockdown, we were getting more young people telling us they didn’t feel safe at home as their parents were fighting or were back on drugs or alcohol as unhealthy coping mechanisms.”
Raffles says it was difficult to turn young people away and she ended up giving some advice on how to sleep rough “safely”, such as wrapping up warm and staying with another young person they knew in the same situation.
However, she said it was actually safer for young people to be alone than with adults who would exploit them.
Life is now looking good for Jodie. She met her boyfriend in June and they now live together in a flat in Manchester. She is looking for work and wants to become a tattoo artist.
She says she will never forget the kindness of strangers shown to her by Nightstop hosts during her time of need. She said: “I am so grateful that these people were willing to take a stranger into their home, especially during a pandemic. For all they knew, I could be anyone.
“They were all very kind, trusting and lovely people. It was really sweet as all they wanted to do is help.
“It made me realise not everyone looks down on you or judges you.
“I am just glad there are really good people out there who do something like this out of the goodness of their hearts.”
To find out more about Nightstop and becoming a host, visit: https://uk.depaulcharity.org/nightstop