Charlie Cox is a well known face in Guernsey’s charitable sector. Her drive to support vulnerable people or those facing any type of challenges began soon after she came back to Guernsey after completing her university degree when she became a listening volunteer with the local branch of the Samaritans.
Fast forward two years and Charlie became director of the charity and found herself spending Christmas in London volunteering at one of the Samaritans’ outreach projects which proved to be an eye opener as she explained:
“The Samaritans took over unoccupied buildings in London and just opened the doors so that anyone who was ‘roofless’ could access some sort of shelter during the Christmas period. Our role was to offer a listening ear to people who were accessing the support and what really struck me was that I was very naive, very sheltered. I grew up in Guernsey, so my exposure to those situations was limited.”
This experience highlighted the complexity of ‘homelessness’ for Charlie and gave her valuable insight for her current role as CEO of the newly established charity At Home in Guernsey.
“I absolutely love working for charities. It’s where I feel most at home and I think we make such a difference collectively as a sector. So when this job came up, it just felt right. Perfect timing, because the housing crisis is all anyone talks about. There are so many myths and stereotypes to bust around homelessness, what it looks like and who experiences it.”
The charity was set up in February 2024 following a research report published by Guernsey Community Foundation on homelessness. One of the report’s recommendations was to set up a bespoke charity with a focus of homelessness, rather than extend the remit of an existing charity.
“It was felt that the issue was under-resourced, under-researched and such a hidden problem in Guernsey that we needed a charity that was going to be its sole focus. There are so many wonderful charities that we work really closely with – Guernsey Welfare, Citizens Advice – but they’ve got other remits that they’re trying to deliver on so this was the best option,” said Charlie.
As well as Charlie, At Home in Guernsey also employs two support workers and the team has two initial priorities. The first is to offer practical support to individuals through its referrals programme. This can provide ‘quick wins’ to improve a situation whether that’s ensuring individuals are receiving the benefits to which they’re entitled, helping them navigate the welfare application process, getting them a tent or food of the day/night, or making sure they are actually on the waiting list for social housing. This is also giving the team valuable insight into the types of situations in which people are finding themselves and some of the root causes.
The second area of focus is the strategic work Charlie and the team are undertaking with the States. The two parties are collaborating to develop a comprehensive overarching delivery and implementation plan to eradicate homelessness in its entirety. For Charlie this long-term holistic approach is absolutely key.
“At the moment we’ve got so many amazing charities and statutory services trying to help people, but everything’s like a sticky plaster.”
So how big is the local homeless situation? Whilst we don’t see large numbers of people ‘sleeping rough’ in the island, there is a general acceptance that there is an issue to address. Currently there are 64 people on the ‘Band One’ waiting list for social housing which has a waiting time of around two years. Band One are people who are deemed ‘roofless’ – those sleeping in tents, doorways, in their cars, in a bunker, without a safe place to call home. However, this could be described as the tip of the iceberg as there are undoubtedly many others who have not applied for social housing and according to the States’ poverty index, there are around 1,000 people experiencing homelessness of some kind. They may be inadequately housed, in overcrowded accommodation or sofa surfing. That’s a sobering one in 60 of the local population facing some kind of accommodation issue.
Shortage of appropriate accommodation forms a significant part of the issue. High demand for and cost of rental properties, a need for more social housing and to improve existing emergency accommodation.
“We talk a lot about beds being blocked in the system. None of the services that we have can function properly; none of them ever have a room because there’s nowhere to move people on to,” said Charlie.
The next major initiative for the charity is the launch of its ‘home share’ project. These projects are run successfully in jurisdictions across the world and aim to create mutually beneficial living arrangements while addressing housing shortages and social isolation, particularly among older adults. At Home in Guernsey is working closely with a London charity to roll out to programme which will basically facilitate and help maintain a relationship between a home owner with spare accommodation and a potential tenant.
Looking further ahead the charity is close to securing a property in need of total renovation but which would eventually provide 15 beds at an affordable rate where people who are experiencing homelessness can have somewhere safe to stay before moving into more permanent accommodation. The property itself would be gifted to At Home in Guernsey and then it will be all hands to the pump to raise funds for its refurbishment.
Charlie is very excited about putting the charity’s plans into action and helping to make a real difference.
“Everything’s going in the right direction. It’s really tempting to put sticky plasters on things. But what we want is that long-term vision so that everything we do is working towards that end goal.”
At Home in Guernsey is Swoffers’ chosen charity for 2025, selected by the team
