Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s pledge to end rough sleeping has given a homelessness charity hope that Jersey can have “more honest conversations about the inequalities and injustices that exist in our Island community”.
In his first speech in office, Mr Burnham announced his government’s commitment to end long-term rough sleeping across the UK as soon as possible.
Backed by a £340m funding allocation, Mr Burnham said the programme would be “bringing together national and local government with the investment needed to get it done”.
The funding has been described as an “opening investment” that will provide 1,200 homes and intensive support for at least 3,000 people.
“Honest conversations about inequalities and injustices”
Sanctuary Trust chief executive Sarah Tumelty told Express that the charity was “delighted that the new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been bold in his intention to end rough sleeping”.
She explained that “anything that gets people talking about the wider systemic causes of homelessness” provided hope that Jersey could have “more honest conversations about the inequalities and injustices that exist in our Island community”.
Ms Tumelty added: “Islanders may think that because it is rare to see someone sleeping rough in Jersey, homelessness does not exist here or that it is not serious.
“However, the key message we share is that, if it were not for the existence of 24/7 homelessness services provided by Sanctuary Trust and the other crucial charities, our Jersey reality would be very different.
“Homelessness exists in Jersey, and every day our teams see the real and human impact of it.”
“True figure is likely to be significantly higher”
Ms Tumelty pointed to statistics within the government’s final quarterly Homelessness in Jersey report for 2025, which stated that the number of service visits by Islanders to homeless accommodation and service providers in each quarter of last year ranged from 278 to 348.
If we, as an island, can set the same bold targets as our UK peers, there should be no need for Sanctuary Trust to exist in its current set up 15 years from now
Sanctuary Trust chief executive Sarah Tumelty
“We know that, due to the limits of reporting, the true figure is likely to be significantly higher,” she added.
“Jersey is still without a legal definition of homelessness. However, a working definition has been adopted, which includes sofa surfing and living in insecure or inadequate housing.
“It is difficult to record how many people meet those criteria, which is why Jersey’s statistics are based only on the people who have made contact with homelessness services during the reporting period.”
The same report also documented that, across each quarter of 2025, between 70% to 74% of service users were men.
Ms Tumelty said: “Sanctuary Trust has been operating for 15 years. We know that it was founded to meet the needs of a specific group who were, and still are, over-represented among those experiencing homelessness: men.”
“Hope the new government will make ending homelessness a priority”
She added: “If we, as an Island, can set the same bold targets as our UK peers, there should be no need for Sanctuary Trust to exist in its current set up 15 years from now.
“The way a society decides to tackle and prevent homelessness is a choice. We hope the new Jersey government will make ending homelessness a priority.”
Ms Tumelty added that, because homelessness “is often hidden” in the Island, there was a risk that the scale of the issue was underestimated.
The Sanctuary Trust provides accommodation and support for men experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Jersey and, since opening in 2011, has supported more than 400 men at crisis points in their lives.
The charity’s main fundraising event, the annual Sleep Out in Pier Road car park, will take place on 13 November.
“Our fundraising target is £50,000, and we invite everyone to join us to experience a fraction of what it may feel like to spend a night somewhere that is not home,” said Ms Tumelty.
“We know when we get up the following morning, we can return to our own homes. This makes the question, ‘what if I had nowhere to turn?’ even more powerful for those taking part.
“Help us meet our ambitious target, which will allow us to continue doing our bit to tackle homelessness in Jersey.”
DONATE…
Those interested in taking part in the Sleep Out can find out more and sign up here.
Islanders can donate to Sanctuary Trust online.
