Introducing legislation to formalise Jersey’s approach to tackling homelessness “may be premature at this stage”, according to the Housing Minister – who has provided an update on the “complex” challenge.
Deputy Sam Mézec said that he favoured a “phased approach”, contending that introducing legislation too early risked “embedding approaches that need further refinement” and could “reduce flexibility in service delivery and create a statutory framework that is not yet fully resourced or culturally embedded”.
He made the comments in a recent ministerial report outlining progress in addressing homelessness in Jersey.
What is the scale of homelessness in the island?
Figures released earlier this month showed that between 1 July and 30 September last year, there were 344 service visits by 333 islanders to homeless accommodation and service providers.
Of those individuals, 280 people were classed as being “houseless”, meaning they have a temporary place to sleep, such as institutional or shelter accommodation.
There were 45 people classed as living in “insecure housing”, which includes situations 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.
And there were fewer than five people classed as being “roofless”, which includes those sleeping rough.
How could legislation help?
Discussions over the potential use of legislation to formalise key aspects of Jersey’s homelessness arrangements have come to the fore in recent years following calls for a statutory definition.
Deputy Mézec’s report notes that: “A statutory definition would create a shared understanding of homelessness across government, homelessness service providers and the wider public.”
He also highlighted that legislation has the potential to “establish clear duties to prevent and relieve homelessness”, including structured referral pathways, personalised housing plans and accessible advisory and support services.
The minister added: “Integration with health, justice and social care would ensure co-ordinated responses to the complex and overlapping needs of those experiencing homelessness.”
Introducing legislation too early could risk embedding approaches that need further refinement, reduce flexibility in service delivery and create a statutory framework that is not yet fully resourced or culturally embedded
Housing Minister Sam Mézec
However, Deputy Mézec stated that, while legislation “offers clear benefits”, introducing it “may be premature at this stage”.
“Jersey’s understanding of homelessness, and its accommodation and support services to address homelessness, are still evolving,” he explained.
“Introducing legislation too early could risk embedding approaches that need further refinement, reduce flexibility in service delivery and create a statutory framework that is not yet fully resourced or culturally embedded.”
Deputy Mézec continued: “For these reasons, I favour a phased approach – one that focuses on strengthening operational practice, building service capacity and embedding a shared understanding of homelessness.
“This will ensure that any future legislation is robust, responsive and capable of meeting the needs of islanders who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.”
But the minister added that legislation remains “a long-term goal” of the Jersey Homelessness Strategy and that he supported its development “in principle”.
“The work that we have undertaken during this term has laid strong foundations for advancing legislation in a future government.”