It comes after the publication of a wide-ranging report into homelessness by the Guernsey Community Foundation. While the report was unable to determine exactly how many people are homeless in Guernsey, the report’s author said this is because homelessness hasn’t been defined in Guernsey and other factors indicate the issue is getting worse.
“We do not know how many people in Guernsey are homeless, either in the traditional sense of sleeping rough or in the broader sense in which we have used the word,” said Alex Lemon.
“Currently, the only way to get a sense of the scale of Guernsey’s homelessness problem is by talking to professionals and volunteers who are helping people find somewhere to live.”
The President of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, Lindsay de Sausmarez, said in response to the report: “I welcome the recommendations to define homelessness for Guernsey and improve data collection in this area, to help inform future support and provision of emergency and temporary housing options for those most at risk of being homeless.
“The GCF report makes some interesting and useful points for the States to explore, especially around market intervention options such as introducing schemes that have been successful in other jurisdictions, and on publishing more information on the progress being made.”
The States of Guernsey said the GCF’s research will help inform “the scope and direction of the States’ upcoming Emergency Housing Project”. This project will look at defining homelessness in the island.
In the absence of a current definition, Ms Lemon developed her own, to help inform her report into the issue.
Deputy de Sausmarez was joined by the President of the Committee for Employment & Social Security, Deputy Peter Roffey, in welcoming the publication of the report.
“… it will provide a useful evidence base for when we consider these issues as part of the Emergency Housing Project set out in the Government Work Plan,” he said.
“This is an important area alongside all other housing policymaking areas where work is currently underway. They all link together and this report provides a valuable source for us as we progress the various housing-related workstreams.”
Pictured: “I welcome the GCF’s view that delivery of the Affordable Housing Development Programme should be a priority, and accelerated if possible,” said Deputy Roffey.
The GCF has also recommended that more data on homelessness needs to be collected, leading to the Office of the Data Protection Authority to release a statement on the issue.
EXCERPT: “The ODPA would like to acknowledge the important issues raised in the ‘Homelessness in Guernsey’ report published on 14 July 2022 by the Guernsey Community Foundation (GCF).
“The ODPA is in contact with the GCF and is entirely supportive of the report’s recommendations around improving data collection and data sharing, highlighting how important effective data handling is across all sectors.
“The report highlights the critical importance of being able to collect, and share, accurate information on how many people are homeless. It correctly cites that this type of activity would have to be done in accordance with data protection legislation (specifically The Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2017 – which is equivalent to the EU’s GDPR) as this data relates to living people.”
The Bailiwick’s Data Protection Commissioner, Emma Martins, said the use of properly collected and organised data can “ensure strategic and operational objectives are met in a way that respects the rights of those individuals whose data are being used”.
“We… look forward to continuing the work already started with the GCF to support them and the whole of the third sector.”
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