The local charity announced its new Supported Lodgings scheme at the beginning of the month.
It invites people to turn their underused room into a lifeline for someone experiencing homelessness or at risk of it.
There had been some public scepticism about the idea of allowing someone to live in a room in their house.
But the charity’s CEO, Charlie Cox, said her initial optimism that the plan will work in Guernsey had been reinforced by the community’s response.
‘We’ve had seven or eight enquiries from potential landlords already,’ she said. ‘We want to start small – make sure we’re able to support people as best we can.
‘The people who have enquired, really do want to give back. So we’re really pleased with how it’s gone down so far.
‘From conversations with family and friends we know there’s lots of anxiety and questions about how things would work in reality.
‘Once we’ve had a few people through the scheme, then we’ll have resident landlords of our own who can share their experiences, and hopefully offer a lot more reassurance to the public.’
The scheme, which aims to provide safe, stable, and supportive temporary homes for those experiencing housing insecurity on the island, is inspired by the UK’s Housing Justice project.
The charity will look to start on-boarding resident landlords in January, with plans to recruit for lodgers a month or so later.
Resident landlords could receive up to £10,000 tax-free rental income each year, paid by the lodger.
Ms Cox said that she believed that there was support within the community for the project and many people recalled people living ‘en famille’ when they were growing up.
‘We’ve been pleasantly surprised,’ she said.
‘I think there’s a real understanding in the community of how difficult it is for people in this current market. A lot of them either have children, or grandchildren experiencing it.
‘We know people are moving off the island because they can’t afford to live here. So I think there’s a lot of empathy for how bad the housing crisis is, and a lot of awareness that, actually, anyone could find themselves in this situation – we’re not talking about a different part of society that lives elsewhere – we’re talking about all of us.’
Ms Cox said the benefits of the scheme would become particularly pertinent when spring and the tourism season rolls around, and winter lets are no longer available.
‘If we can get people up and running for April, it means some of those people who are currently living independently in winter lets can hopefully transition into resident landlord accommodation,’ she said.
‘That would make a huge difference.’
The initiative has received support from the States Housing Committee. Member Deputy Garry Collins said it followed on from some other positive developments led by local charities, with Caritas’ emergency pods opening recently at the Vale Douzaine, and the new training flats opened by Action for Children.
‘I have every hope that these projects will add another source of housing for those that need it most, particularly at this time of year,’ he said.
‘Such projects will form an important part of the homelessness delivery and implementation plan which the committee is working on alongside the charity sector, which will coordinate services provided to people experiencing homelessness and ensure that their needs are met.’
Anyone interested in learning more can attend an informal session hosted by At Home in Guernsey on Saturday at Specsavers, La Villiaze from 10.30am to 11.30am. For more information and to register, email info@athome.gg.
