Northumberland County youth looking for a safe place to rest their head at night when home isn’t an option will soon be able to find that comfort in their community.
That’s the intent of Nightstop, a new upcoming program from Cobourg-based Rebound Child & Youth Services (Rebound).
Considered to be “a transformative” initiative, the Nightstop program is designed to provide safe short-term accommodations for youth in need of emergency housing, with the accommodation hosted by vetted and approved volunteers.
Nightstop is aimed at addressing the urgent need for emergency housing in Northumberland and empowering community members “to offer meaningful support to those in crisis,” Rebound noted in a media release.
The program is slated to officially begin operating in February 2025.
“Nightstop is a program that goes beyond providing shelter — it’s about fostering hope, dignity, and opportunity for young people in need,” said Sam Rockbrune, Rebound’s executive director, in a statement. “This program is a testament to the power of community coming together to create change. Rebound is ecstatic to bring this project to Northumberland.”
The Northumberland County Nightstop program, made possible through a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, will be the third in Ontario and builds on more than 30 years of successful Nightstop programs in the United Kingdom.
The program addresses youth homelessness by offering emergency overnight shelter to young people at risk of spending the night on the streets or in unsafe conditions.
“We know that (the number of) youth experiencing unstable housing is growing in our community,” Rockbrune told kawarthaNOW in a previous interview. “Rebound is already working on prevention for youth homelessness with our current programs and rolling out exciting new programs in the new year.”
With no youth shelter beds available in Northumberland County, the Nightstop initiative engages the local community to open their spare rooms and act as volunteer hosts for youth.
Hosts invite young people in need into their homes and provide a safe place for a short-term stay. Once the youth is safely in the host home, Nightstop staff will work to provide wrap-around support while the young person is working toward reintegration with their family — if it’s safe to do so — or exploring other longer-term housing options.
The program is for youth ages 16 and above who are considered low-to-medium risk, which means they have no high-dependency needs such as unmanaged physical or mental health conditions, no addictions, and no recent history of arson, sexual assault, violent behaviour, or other serious crimes.
Nightstop hosts are thoroughly vetted and must be able to provide a clear police and vulnerable sector check. They receive extensive training and ongoing support from program staff.
Applications for volunteer hosts will open in January 2025. To learn more about Nightstop or get involved as a host or volunteer, visit www.rcys.ca/nightstop, call 905-372-0007, or email rebound@rcys.ca.
Rebound is a not-for-profit, incorporated, charitable organization that has been providing community-based programs and services to children, youth, and families in Northumberland County since 1997.
The agency works with many community partners and more than 70 dedicated volunteers to offer supportive and proactive programming to empower children, youth, and their families to work towards positive change. Services are provided through a private and confidential process that aim to help children, youth, and their families.
