First-of-its-kind government report classes more than 200 Jersey people as homeless

Jersey Housing Minister Deputy Sam Mézec believes the data will help government achieve a "broader, richer, deeper understanding" of homelessness on the island. Credit: ITV Channel

Around 220 people living in Jersey are homeless, according to a first-of-its-kind government report.

The Homelessness in Jersey Report Second Quarter 2024 compiles data from homeless charities and service providers to identify the extent of homelessness on the island.

It comes after Housing Minister Deputy Sam Mézec launched a project to improve the collection of evidence of homelessness on the island.

Data was reported from The Shelter Trust, FREEDA (formerly Women's Refuge), The Sanctuary Trust, and the government's Housing Advice Service and released ahead of World Homeless Day (Thursday 10 October).

Figures reveal that 204 islanders visited homeless accommodation and service providers 220 times between 1 April and 30 June 2024.

Of those, fewer than five were defined as sleeping rough, with 180 islanders living in temporary places to sleep in institutional or shelter accommodation.

At risk, experience of, or escaping domestic abuse was the main recorded reason for homelessness among females in 39% of cases.

Substance abuse was the main recorded reason for homelessness among males - around 14% of cases.

The report states that those who were homeless were predominantly between 26 and 65 years of age.

However, there were 17 young people recorded as homeless in this quarter.

"The reporting of this data will provide a deeper understanding of the level of demand on different providers." - Deputy Sam Mézec Credit: ITV Channel

Housing Minister Deputy Sam Mézec, said: "For a number of years, there has been a lack of meaningful data available regarding the situation in Jersey regarding homelessness. This has made it hard to fully and accurately understand the scale and nature of the issue in Jersey.

"The reporting of this data will provide a deeper understanding of the level of demand on different providers and how they respond to the issue of homelessness.

The Minister added data will allow the government to: "Develop a broader, richer, deeper understanding of this issue so that informed and useful policy can be created to tackle the issues surrounding homelessness.

"It is, however, always important to remember that behind the statistics, there are many individual stories, and we must always remember the very human nature of this issue."

How homelessness is defined in Jersey and how many people this affects:

  • Houseless (180): This means those who have a temporary place to sleep in institutional or shelter accommodation.

  • Insecure housing (40): This is where a person is living in an insecure tenancy, under an eviction order, living temporarily with friends or family, or living in a domestic abuse situation.

  • Roofless (<5): Fewer than five people were classed as 'roofless', which means living without a shelter of any kind, such as rough sleeping.

  • Inadequate housing (0): This is those living in caravans or illegal campsites, in unfit housing or in extreme overcrowding. No people were identified, which the report says reflects the "challenge of reporting on 'hidden' forms of homelessness".

  • Fewer than five people were also recorded but not specified under these definitions.

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