Homelessness charity helping States with data blind spots

In 2023’s States of Guernsey Indicators of Poverty report, more than 1,200 people were estimated to be living in insecure housing on the island – but nobody knew the exact numbers.

This lack of data and information has long posed a problem in figuring out how to address homelessness.

Now the notification form will be treated as the ‘entry point’ for people who are at risk or currently experiencing homelessness to gain support from At Home in Guernsey and other services, and should help to build more robust data.

‘In order to design services to meet the needs of islanders, we need to understand what forces people into homelessness, how we can prevent instances of homelessness and what options are available to them,’ said AHIG chief executive Charlie Cox.

‘For emergency accommodation over here, there is St Julian’s, which has got around 17 beds. More often than not, it is completely full. So we know we need more emergency accommodation. But what we don’t know is exactly what type we need and how many people we’re talking about in exact numbers, and what type of service that should look like.

‘We know money is tight and we’re not going to be able to implement every single service we could possibly want to. So it’s about us really understanding what people’s experiences are so we can prioritise where the greatest need is at the start, and work from there.’

She noted that people were often reluctant to reach out for help due to the stigma surrounding homelessness, but also that there were some people who did not identify themselves as being insecurely housed, which may include those living in unaffordable, unsuitable, mouldy or damp housing.

Guernsey-specific factors at play included the housing crisis, the long wait-lists for social housing, and the difficulty of relocating after being served an eviction notice.

‘There are so many things we can be grateful for here in Guernsey, but unfortunately this often means that we shy away from acknowledging where we have let people down. Since At Home in Guernsey launched, we have supported nearly 100 people who are at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness but we know that’s just the tip of the iceberg,’ Ms Cox said.

The form falls under the long-term Homelessness Delivery and Implementation Plan, co-produced with the Committee for Housing.

The plan aims to identify and improve upon existing provision, agree a legal definition of homelessness, gain a deeper research and knowledge base to the local context of homelessness and, as a long-term ambition, deliver a plan to end homelessness.

Housing president Deputy Steve Williams said: ‘We’re pleased to be working alongside At Home in Guernsey as we seek to address one of Guernsey’s most serious issues, homelessness. Gathering this information will be really helpful as we look to address this problem, but perhaps more pertinently we hope that this will be a small step to make sure that anyone needing support can reach out without delay.’

People who have had past experiences of homelessness or insecure housing are also welcome to take part to help both organisations deepen their understanding of the issue.

To access the form or for further information, visit athome.gg.