Caring Milton Keynes residents open their doors to take in homeless young people for the night

Milton Keynes City Council and its charity partner Depaul UK are applauding Milton Keynes residents who have opened their homes as part of their ‘Nightstop’ service to provide more than 100 overnight stays for young people on the brink of becoming homeless.

Nightstop is a joint campaign between MK City Council and charity Depaul UK which recruits volunteers to take in young people at risk of homelessness.

It prevents young people from facing a night on the streets, with volunteers providing a safe space for one night at a time to 16-to-25 year-olds in need.

Council colleagues and Depaul staff then quickly work with the young people to find more settled and long-term accommodation.

Depaul UK also runs the Reconnect programme on behalf of MK City Council, which acts as a mediation service between young people and their families who may be experiencing a relationship breakdown. The partnership has so far supported more than 50 families, helping them find an alternative to a young person becoming homeless.

Both Nightstop and Reconnect provide ongoing support to young people to ensure they’re not faced with a similar situation again.

Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Emily Darlington, said: “Our work with DePaul is just one of the ways we’re ensuring that people are not faced with a night on the streets. Young people in MK have access to wide-ranging support when they face tough circumstances and we’re determined to help them get the help they need.

"We’ll continue this work along with the other initiatives that we’ve introduced to prevent homelessness and end rough sleeping in MK for good.”