Man living in car urges politicians to fund affordable homes after spending 80% of wage to rent room
ITV Channel reporter Matthew Leach meets one Guernsey man who says a lack of government support and the high cost of living has forced him to live in his car
A Guernsey man who lives in his car has called on the island's government to do more to support people who are homeless.
Paul Goddard says he has been sleeping rough for three years after he had to move out of a property and was refused the financial help he needs from the States.
He was offered a room to live in and raise his children by the Government but says cost of rent was too high without income support which he did not qualify for.
Paul tells ITV News that he was paying almost £1,300 per month for the room while only earning £1,600.
The States of Guernsey says income support is offered if "a person's household income is not sufficient to meet their needs" and cannot comment on individual cases.
Paul says he knows of other people in Guernsey living in cars and tents due to a lack of affordable social housing and financial support.
He explains: "I've seen it quite a few times. There was a family living in a car parked down at Grandes Rocques.
"Their baby used to wake up crying between two and three o'clock every night. There were two or three cars parked down here at one stage.
"I've had a few friends living in tents and vehicles, it's just awful."
Paul hopes the island's government can increase the amount of help it gives to those on low incomes but he is not optimistic about the future due to the lack of affordable social housing and the high cost of living.
He adds: "To be honest I feel sorry for the kids growing up over here with the amount and cost of property and rentals.
"A child going into a shop on a minimum wage is going to struggle before they even become an adult."
Jim Roberts, the Director of Guernsey's first dedicated homelessness charity for adults, At Home in Guernsey, also says the Government needs to do more to support people.
He explains: "It continues to be awful and it looks like it might get worse.
"It's a problem that is largely invisible. That can make it more difficult to tackle and for politicians to take seriously.
"The situation is pretty stark. The fact is, there isn't enough social housing, there isn't enough affordable housing for people to move into. The waiting list is very long, you can be waiting for years before you're offered social housing so that needs to change.
"Private rental costs are phenomenally high almost compared to any other jurisdiction on the planet.
"The lowest earning quarter of people on the island are paying up to 78% of their income on rent. That is patently unsustainable."
Jim says At Home in Guernsey is working to secure the safety of people on low incomes in the short-term by helping maximise the amount of government support they can receive and working to maintain tenancy agreements.
However, he believes that long-term solutions will have to come from "political will" and the Infrastructure Committee's recent Housing Plan update fails to address homelessness urgently enough - work to reduce it only due to begin in 2025.
Jim wants to see immediate action to agree a statutory definition of homelessness, to understand the exact scale of it in Guernsey and to offer more affordable homes quicker.
Guernsey's Infrastructure Committee President, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, says: "We know there are lots of different factors feeding into homelessness.
"It is about availability of homes, something we are doing an awful lot on in the Guernsey Housing Plan.
"It is also about affordability and I am pleased to say affordability is moving in the right direction, including for people in the private rental sector who are particularly vulnerable to homelessness.
"It is also about security of tenure, it is one of the reasons people will find themselves homeless and we are doing a really big bit of work at the moment on the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants."
Guernsey States say they cannot comment on individual cases and do not encourage people to live in tents, but if anyone informs Social Security that they are living at a campsite and they qualify for income support, this money can be used for a pitch fee.
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