Charity Caritas says it is 'overwhelmed' by the generosity of islanders, as it works towards building homes for those suffering from what is known as 'accommodation insecurity.'
Caritas launched its modular community project in response to a 2023 States of Guernsey Indicators of Poverty report, that found more than one thousand islanders are without a permanent address.
It is currently trying to raise £1M to secure land and develop 24 modular homes. These are prefabricated and so quicker and cheaper to build than traditional homes.
Chairman Graham Merfield says they've had many individuals and companies offer help:
"We have been overwhelmed with the support that we have had from across the community, both from the people offering us options on land, but also from architects and people in the construction industry.
"Our project has generated interest and it is really heartwarming, and I want to thank everyone for what they have put on the table so far.
"Our goal is to secure the use of land at ideally a peppercorn rent, so that we can use the funds that we are raising to focus on building homes and building the community, without having the underlying cost of land.
"We've had offers of work at cost and offers to help with planning the project and managing the project.
"So, I feel confident that if we can find a suitable piece of land, we can move fairly quickly through a process of going for a planning application and then moving to construction."
The charity has 'quite a significant amount of funding on hand' and has received £7,000 in donations over the past few months.
A mass sleepout on 24 January, is expected to generate more money.
Graham says the 1.8% of the population that is suffering from 'home insecurity' must be helped as soon as possible:
"We’re conscious that we’re going into another winter and we hear stories all the time about people sleeping in cars, greenhouses and tents.
"It is really heartbreaking to hear those stories, particularly during the rough weather we've had in the past few weeks."
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