AS many as 1,000 people could be homeless in Jersey, according to the chair of a charity which is seeking government support to tackle the “hidden” issue in the Island.
Tim Ringsdore said that the Sanctuary Trust – which supports up to 30 men across three sites – was “going into 2024 with a big challenge”, having eaten into its reserves to meet operating costs.
Currently the charity does not receive government funding, so relies on its own fundraising efforts and donations from the public to meet its annual running costs, which are close to £600,000.
Mr Ringsdore described homelessness as a “hidden problem” in Jersey.
“We are working with government on this and it is estimated that anything up to 1,000 people here are defined as homeless,” he explained.
The government last year published its formal definition of homelessness, which included people living in “insecure” or inadequate housing.
Mr Ringsdore added: “There are a lot of people sleeping in cars, in vans, sofa-surfing – that’s not what should be happening in this Island.
“You see a few people who are sleeping in car parks or parks and you might think we don’t have much of a problem here, compared to somewhere like London. But there is a problem here.”
Housing Minister David Warr said it was “difficult” to measure the wider homelessness figure referenced by Mr Ringsdore, but noted that there were 226 people accommodated across Jersey’s various shelters at the end of the second quarter of this year.
He said: “Government will be working with the charitable sector and its existing accommodation providers to better understand the current need. There is a lot of work going at the moment in terms of gathering that data.”
Deputy Warr also explained that it was government policy to try to provide support – at least on a temporary basis – to someone at risk of becoming homeless.
He added: “Please get in touch with our Housing Advisory Service if you are in that difficult position.”
St Helier Deputy Tom Coles said: “Because we don’t see people sleeping rough, it is out of sight and out of mind, but it is a very real situation and is very hard to quantify,” noting that he knew of one individual who was living on a boat.
“People need to be made aware of the support available and shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Housing Advice Service
Telephone: 01534 444444
Email: housingadvice@gov.je
