Nearly 26,000 households in Redditch have a spare room that could keep a young person in crisis safe tonight

A HOMELESSNESS charity is appealing for volunteers after data showed there were over 39,000 spare rooms available in Redditch, which could help keep a young person safe for the night.

Analysis of the most recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) census data revealed an estimated 70 per cent of households across the borough having at least one spare bedroom.

Nightstop, which receives funding from players of the Postcode Lottery, provides emergency short-term accommodation for young people at risk of homelessness by matching them with vetted and trained volunteer hosts who offer a safe place to stay in their own homes.

With demand for youth homelessness services continuing to rise, Depaul UK, the charity which runs Nightstop, is urging more residents with spare rooms to consider becoming volunteer hosts.

A young person supported by Nightstop, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Standard: “After things broke down at home, I didn’t know where I was going to sleep.

“I honestly felt like nobody cared what happened to me.

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“Staying with a Nightstop host gave me somewhere safe for the night and a chance to breathe and think about what to do next.

“My host made me feel welcome straight away.

“It wasn’t just having a bed for the night, it was knowing someone cared enough to help me when I was at my lowest.”

Visit: depaul.org.uk/nightstop-volunteer for more information.