Guernsey homelessness charity 'deeply concerned' at rising support need

Thursday, 4 June 2026 07:20

By Amelia Averis

In the first five months of 2026, At Home in Guernsey says the number of people it's supported is already nearing the total for the entirety of 2025.

At Home in Guernsey has supported 104 clients in 2026 so far, compared to 125 for the whole of 2025.

The charity says that many people they are helping had been living in winter lets, which tend to end in late March.

Caitlin Duquemin, a support worker for At Home in Guernsey, says that as B&Bs, lodging houses and hotels fill up ahead of the summer months, and with private rents high and emergency accommodation limited, options quickly narrow.:

"Looking at the data in the first almost half of this year, we've already almost supported the same amount as the year before.

"Certainly at the end of March and we had a few really busy weeks where we did have quite a lot of people reach out to us who had been in winter lets and they didn’t have anywhere to go after that."

She says others have sought support because they are currently sleeping in vehicles, and the charity has also seen many islanders approaching them after being evicted from their homes.

Referrals are made through several routes, including by phone, email, and through social media, but most have come from the charity’s Homelessness Notification Form, launched in November 2025.

"It’s great that we are getting more (approaches) from the people on Island that do really need the support.

It's somewhere to go where you get that sort of human contact, that person at the end of the phone providing that practical and emotional support that previously they might not have quite known where to get that from."

Building more affordable homes remains a key States priority.