Request
How much have the States of Jersey spent paying local companies to provide accommodation for homeless people when local hostels and charities are full?
Could you break the data down over the past 10 years?
Response
Health and Social Services Department (HSSD)
There is no record that HSSD has ever paid local companies to provide accommodation for homeless people when local hostels or other charitable accommodation is full.
HSSD provides funding for accommodation for homeless people through its Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Shelter Trust. The SLA supports the following services for homeless people:
- Aztec House - 35 units of ‘walk in’ emergency accommodation for adults
- Evans House - 22 single rooms for adults
- Strathmore House - 16 units of ‘walk in’ emergency accommodation, for individuals aged 16 to 25 years
- Midvale Road Apartments - 17 self-contained single occupancy studio flats
- The Drunk and Incapable Unit - 4 secure single occupancy rooms
- Partnership activities with Jersey Homeless Outreach Group for ‘rough sleepers’
Social Security
Residentially qualified, low income people in Jersey can receive financial support towards the cost of living in a hostel, and other charity run accommodation, through Income Support benefit. In some cases, the Social Security department may pay rent directly to a landlord from a customer’s income support claim, however this is an administrative arrangement to help our customers, not additional expenditure.
Although Social Security works closely with all providers of supported accommodation, the Department does not hold data as to whether providers have been required to purchase additional capacity from the private rental market. If this were the case, support for rental costs would continue to be paid to the provider, not to another local company.
Probation and After-Care Service
The Probation and After Care Service funds accommodation for clients in a number of circumstances including lack of space in Hostels.
The figures below therefore are not only amounts spent because Hostels were full.
The amount paid out for client accommodation is £6,101.83 as above.
