Affordable housing waiting list (FOI)

Request

The second page of the most recently published Affordable Housing Waiting List as it stood at 31st December 2018 includes a chart showing 'Net affordable rental demand by bed size need'. The first column ("Studio") shows net demand of 37 and total demand of 46, comprising 37 from the private sector and 9 from 'transfers'.

A

Please provide a breakdown of the 37 private sector applicants into the following categories:

1. their current housing tenure (ie living in a hostel, lodging accommodation, bedsit, prison inmate, care leaver and so on)

2. their age groups (ie 16-18, 19-25, and so on)

3. their gender

4. whether they are currently sharing accommodation with others or living alone

B

Please provide the same breakdown into categories as above in respect of the nine other applicants who are listed as 'transfers', making sure to identify what size of social housing they are currently occupying and why they have been assessed as suitable for 'studio' (bedsit) accommodation rather than one-bedroom accommodation (the former type of social housing being much scarcer than the latter).

C

Confirm whether it is current policy to restrict certain categories of Affordable Housing Gateway applicants to bedsits only rather than one-bedroom properties and, if so, what type of criteria?

Response

Within the following response disclosure control has been applied to numbers fewer than five (<5), in order to comply with Article 25 (Personal information) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

A

Of the 37 private sector applicants;

1. Current housing tenure:

Living in a Bedsit = 19

House Share = <5

Shelter = <5

No Fixed Abode = <5

Winter Let = <5

Staying with family / friends = <5

In a 1 bed or larger looking to downsize = <5

2. Age groups

16 - 20 = <5

21 - 30 = <5

31 - 40 = <5

41 - 50 = <5

51 - 60 = 16

61 - 70 = 14

71 + = <5

3. Gender

Male = 23

Female = 14

4. Sharing or living alone;

Sharing = 6

Living alone = 31

B

Due to small numbers and the risk of identifying individuals, the data for question B is withheld. However the department can confirm that all 9 transfers live alone.

C

A single person under pensionable age will be supported to occupy a studio (bedsit), unless they were already occupying a one-bedroom property. This is consistent with Income Support policy. Where a studio is not available, a person will be offered a one-bedroom property.

Article applied

Article 25 Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.