The charity has formally submitted a planning application for the installation of two emergency sleeping pods in a quiet corner of the car park at the douzaine room on Maraitaine Road.
It said the initiative was a direct response to the growing number of individuals in Guernsey facing homelessness and extreme housing insecurity.
‘These pods are not a final solution – they are a compassionate and practical step while we work towards building a community of modular homes in Guernsey,’ said Caritas Guernsey chairman Graham Merfield.
‘Until then, we cannot turn our backs on those sleeping rough. Everyone deserves shelter, safety, and dignity.’
He added that with planning permission secured the charity hoped the pods would be in position before the winter.
‘We’re currently looking at somewhere around the end of October to have the pods on the island,’ he said.
‘The debate we are having at the moment is whether to order them before planning is granted so they can be in place quickly.’
Vale Douzaine offered to support the project, and said it recognised the benefit of a well-managed initiative located in a low-traffic area of the Vale Douzaine Room’s car park.
‘The constables and douzaine of the Vale believe this initiative is a valuable and meaningful response to homelessness in Guernsey,’ a douzaine spokesman said.
‘We fully support the project and are pleased that our grounds can be used to help provide immediate, practical support to those in need.’
The pods would occupy the space of two parking bays each and are designed to cause minimal disruption to the surrounding area.
Mr Merfield said he hoped the local community would also support them.
‘We’re hoping that we won’t have objections, but part of the reason for publicising the plans is to be upfront and transparent,’ he said.
‘The douzaine have obviously been very supportive, so I hope the rest of the community will want to do something to help alleviate the housing issues, and get behind the plans.’
The self-contained, purpose-built pods, developed by UK charity Amazing Grace Spaces, provide safe, immediate overnight shelter and are designed to be discreet and operate fully off-grid.
Each unit includes a secure sleeping space, a toilet, solar power, and battery storage.
Caritas said they would provide support to help those using the pods to find longer-term accommodation and access other essential services.
The charity is also seeking volunteers, both individual and local companies, who may be willing to assist with the cleaning and maintenance of the pods.
‘We’re looking to build a network of volunteers, other charities and companies to help with the pods,’ said Mr Merfield, who thanked architects StudiO for their help with the planning application.
‘It would be great if a cleaning company could help us with maintenance, because there are the toilets that need to be emptied and the pods need to be cleaned after they’re used. We also hope that another charity will work with us to provide counselling support.’
The charity has long-term plans to create a modular housing site of up to 24 single-bedroom units, which could provide accommodation for those in need for up to two years.
‘Our wider vision is to create a community that supports people experiencing homelessness, social exclusion, or insecure housing – including ex-offenders, sofa surfers, and individuals living in vehicles or emergency B&Bs,’ said Mr Merfield.
‘We have been offered two sites so far but planning problems have made them unfeasible.’
He added that the ideal solution would be finding a piece of States-owned land that could be used.
‘The past States were very supportive, however we’re more optimistic now that housing is under one committee, whereas before it was split across committees,’ he said.
‘The new committee has talked about the laser focus on finding solutions to the housing issues so we’re anxious to engage with them and continue our dialogue.’
Any organisation or individual who would like to get involved, can email volunteer@caritas.org.gg.
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