Sanctuary Trust said that the public response to a trio of fundraising events this year gave grounds for believing homelessness in Jersey could be successfully tackled.
Around 100 people attended Sanctuary’s sleep-out event at Pier Road car park, raising in excess of £12,000.
‘Raising money is massively important, but I also believe that people in Jersey are gaining a wider understanding of this issue – they have really got behind us,’ said Sanctuary general manager Brett Cutts.
‘Many of those supporting us have had experience of homelessness either having an impact on them personally, or affecting family members.’
Sanctuary has also organised a sponsored walk – Walk into the Light – and a one-day music festival during the past few months. Mr Cutts said he was optimistic that positive change would follow a new draft strategy for homelessness being issued early in 2020.
‘We are really positive about what’s happening – a lot of hours are being put into this strategy,’ he said.
As part of the preparatory work for the new strategy, more than 50 people – including Housing Minister Sam Mézec – attended a recent workshop at the Salvation Army headquarters in St Helier.
Simon Burgess, independent chairman of public-private partnership Homelessness Jersey, said: ‘Our ultimate goal is to ensure everyone has access to a decent home and the support services they need.
‘As a first step, we are bringing together organisations that support the homeless to develop an Islandwide strategy aimed at making the best use of resources and in order to provide a safety net for those who find themselves homeless or who are at risk of homelessness.’
Wendy Dearden, a consultant at housing specialists arc4, told the workshop that the biggest challenge was a lack of information about the extent of homelessness, although she said this was being addressed.
Senator Mézec, who took part in the Pier Road sleep-out, said one of his main priorities was to ensure appropriate accommodation and support were in place to prevent people from becoming homeless.
