More Islanders Can Apply For Social Housing

Thursday, 22 December 2022 08:16

More people will become eligible for social rented housing in Jersey in the new year.

The amount a person or household can earn to join the Affordable Housing Gateway is going up.

From 1 January 2023, a single person with no children can have an income of £32,000 a year, up from £23,000.

For a family of five it will be £72,700, up from £64,400.

Housing Minister Deputy David Warr says he's made the change after reviewing more than 100 applications that were refused on the grounds of income:

“I was struck by how close applicants were to the income threshold. By moving to an alignment with Income Support, I would estimate that 7 out of 10 of those refused applications would now qualify for the Gateway.

I am especially pleased to be offering an enhanced increase for single applicant households, recognising that they are often the most financially stretched."

Deputy Warr says, though this move will increase demand, Andium Homes is on track to build 3,000 more homes by the end of this decade.

He says allowing more people to become eligible will help further identify the island's housing needs.

"We have got sites coming up to be built upon.

We are opening the Gateway up so we can get a better idea of exactly what that demand level is going to look like.

Is that 3,000 still a realistic figure? Or actually is demand significantly higher than that?"

Deputy Warr will be reviewing the age criteria for the Gateway in April, which will mark one year since the age restriction was reduced from 50 to 40.

Applications can be submitted now by those who are eligible for the new income limits on 1 January, from which date their applications will become active.