Emergency sleeper pods to help homeless in Guernsey

Thursday, 17 April 2025 07:05

Image from the Amazing Grace Space website

A Guernsey charity is appealing to landowners to lend some space for emergency accommodation.

While Caritas continues searching for a site to build a modular housing community, the charity says a more immediate solution is needed for people with nowhere safe to sleep.

A corporate sponsor has agreed to pay for two pods designed by the UK charity Amazing Grace Spaces - they just need somewhere to put them.

The pods are roughly the size of a small garden shed and contain a bed, lighting, a phone charging point, and a chemical toilet.

They are solar-powered, so they don't require mains connections.

Caritas Chairman Graham Merfield says even short-term use of a car park or a corner of private land could significantly improve someone's quality of life.

“Since launching our modular community project last September, we’ve been contacted throughout the winter by individuals with nowhere safe to sleep.

"While still progressing with our modular project, this practical initiative aims to provide short-term emergency accommodation for those with no alternative.

"The calls we have received are from people who have got quite desperate, some are sleeping in broken cars with no heat.

"If someone is able to sleep in a warm space for a night, it helps them function much better during the daytime, and they respond much better to the support."

Landowners can contact the charity.