Charity Caritas applied in July to place the pods in the Vale Douzaine car park. Permission was granted yesterday.
Charity chairman Graham Merfield said they avoided the risk of the pods not being ready when the cold weather arrived.
‘We took the decision five weeks ago just to order the pods and pay for them,’ he said.
‘It was a bit of a risk, but we wanted to get the pods and have them ready for winter.’
He said they were pleased the risk had paid off. ‘We are absolutely over the moon,’ he said.
‘It’s the first step for us to start addressing the homelessness issue in Guernsey with some additional support. We are really pleased [the Development & Planning Authority] has seen the benefits of what we are trying to do. This is the first time anyone has provided this type of accommodation in Guernsey.’
The pods, made in north Wales, are expected to arrive in early October.
The structures themselves will be quick to set up, but it may take a bit of time to get the correct support in place. This will include processes for knowing who is using the pods and a bit about their background.
‘This is a learning process for us.’
There is some limited emergency accommodation already on island, but this often has limitations, so as not being able to drink while staying there.
Mr Merfield said while drinking was not allowed in the pods and they were mindful of their neighbours and the community, they were keen to help as many people as possible.
The pods cost £18,000 each and the charity will now have to deal with ongoing running costs.
Mr Merfield said he was very grateful for the support they had been getting.
It is hoped the pods will be ready for use by late October. As they are emergency housing, it is not known what the demand will be. The permission came with limits on the same person not using the pod for seven consecutive days or more than 30 days a year.
Mr Merfield said this seemed fair.
‘If someone does need the pod for 30 nights, then we are failing that person.’
He was pleased there had only been one objection to the scheme and attributed this to the charity communicating their message well and islanders understanding the need for this facility.
Two other potential sites for pods in other parts of the island have also been identified, but Mr Merfield said they would wait to see what demand was like before doing a second site.
‘We know there are people in their cars, in glasshouses and in bunkers, but we just don’t know how high the demand will be.’
He thanked architects StudiO for their support.
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