The six units are being built in Victoria Road above the offices of charity Action for Children.
‘They are for young people who are homeless but don’t have the skills to live on their own. In a private rental, they might fail,’ said Guernsey Action for Children’s service manager Aaron Davies.
‘We have 12 young people on our waiting list at the moment. We also have around nine families in the community who give up their spare room for us. So where a young person does find themselves with nowhere to go, we’re able to put them into supported hosting arrangements for up to three months.’
He added that the charity was also working on longer-term solutions.
‘For some young people, that might be our training flats, but for other young people, that might be the private sector, or it might be mediation at home, and about 60% of the cases that we see do go back home with mediation and support.’
As part of another initiative, there is now funding in place for a year’s worth of counselling for homeless young people.
The service, which will give 18 young people access to private therapies, was funded by the Butterfield Charitable Trust.
‘We will see what difference that makes, what the uptake is like, and more importantly, what outcomes we get from it,’ said Mr Davies.
‘What we want to see are young people who are more hopeful for the future, who feel that the emotional impact of homelessness has been addressed. If we can evidence those things will definitely look at it as longer-term project.’
The charity is also using World Homeless Day to unveil a new website, having previously only had a space on the Action for Children UK’s page.
The site includes a streamlined online referral process, highlighting more than 20 local projects and a growing library of downloadable tools designed to teach independent living skills.
Further developments are planned for the site, including a blog page and events booking system, ensuring it continues to grow as a vital resource for young people in Guernsey.
Mr Davies said the site was not just a website, it was a 'digital front door'.
‘Young people are digitally native, we need to meet young people in their spaces and the online world is a young person space and place,’ he said.
‘It’s been a real big project for us, and I’m hoping what it will mean is even more young people can access our support.’
To mark the launch, Action for Children staff will be visiting schools and colleges to promote the new website and remind young people that help is available if they are affected by or at risk of homelessness.
Young people aged 16 to 25 can self-refer to the Moving On programme by visiting the service’s new website actionforchildren.gg, or by getting in touch via email, phone, or social media. All sessions are conducted by external partner therapists and are completely confidential.
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