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Bridgwater YMCA HOME Projects making a difference to young people in homelessness

As part of Sedgemoor District Council’s strategy to tackle Youth Homelessness and in partnership with Bridgwater YMCA, a package of services, HOME Projects, has been developed to assist in the prevention and support of young people who may find themselves in threat of, or in actual homeless crisis.

The Housing, Options, Mediation & Education Projects include a Nightstop in Sedgemoor, family mediation service, schools awareness programme and a tenant accreditation scheme.

Nightstop

Nightstop in Sedgemoor is a service where a young person, aged 16-25 yrs who is homeless, will be given a safe, supportive place to stay with a host. Our staff will then assist them as they explore their housing options or support them to return to the family home. A Nightstop Host is a special person as it is they who offer a safe, supportive environment in their home to a young person.

Nightstop is affiliated with DePaul UK. Nightstop, while new to Sedgemoor, has been running for nearly 25 years with over 45 Nightstop programmes across the UK.

There are times when all a young person needs is a safe space to find solutions and start to rebuild family relationships or explore their housing needs and options open to them. The reality Nightstop is trying to prevent is that of a young person finding themselves in a vulnerable situation or sleeping rough on the streets.

Becoming a host is more than just offering a room, It’s making a difference.

For more information on hosting please come to our information evening on 11th August 2010 5.30pm to 8pm at Hope Baptist Church, Highbridge.

Family Mediation

The family mediation service is there to support young people and their families to resolve any differences or issues so a young person is able to stay in the family home, where appropriate.

Schools Awareness Programme

The Schools Awareness Programme will deliver a workshop in schools to raise young people’s awareness of homelessness, the issues young people can face when they are homeless and what a young person can do to try and get support earlier to prevent them becoming homeless or finding themselves in a vulnerable situation

Tenant Accreditation Scheme

The Tenant Accreditation Scheme is a six week training programme to help young people gain an understanding and knowledge about having their own home and the responsibilities that come with it. The course will cover:

About a Tenancy
Looking after a home
Housing costs
Looking after myself, staying safe
Where to look for support and advice

And is aimed at young people aged 16-25 yrs who want to access housing in the private sector or through homefinders Choice Based Lettings.