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Union Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 3DN
Deputy Hilary Jeune
Chair, Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel BY EMAIL
Dear Chair, 27 February 2025 Re: Follow up questions from Quarterly Hearing
Thank you for your letter dated 20 February to request further information, following the Quarterly Hearing on 12 February 2025. Please find below my responses.
- The Panel asked you to provide more information on the discussions and input that you have had in encouraging rightsizing and providing homes designed for Jersey's ageing population. In addition to the engagement with the parishes which you mentioned in your answers to the Panel could you please outline:
• What further influence you have in your remit as Minister for Housing in ensuring that the plans for provision of homes suit the Island's ageing demographic.
• Specific examples of work which policy officers have been asked to produce in relation to this provision.
My influence in ensuring that plans for the provision of homes to suit the aging demographic centres largely around my involvement in the planning process and my relationships with Social Housing providers and the States of Jersey Development Company. The Panel will see that it is these areas that my Right-sizing Policy is focused on, as they cover my scope of influence.
Beyond this, work will soon need to be undertaken to recast the planning assumption for housing land supply for the next Island Plan Review. Whilst the Minister for the Environment is ultimately responsible for the Island Plan, I fully expect that we – and our officers – will be working closely to consider our long-term housing need for the next plan period. Demographic change, and how we can continue to meet the needs of our population, will be a key element of this.
Examples of work that my officers have been asked to produce in relation to this provision include:
• Undertaking research and policy development towards the publication of my Rightsizing Policy.
• Supporting the assessment of planning applications and provision of feedback as a consultee.
• Engagement with social housing providers in a number of areas, including the development of their right-sizing policies and discussions about overall housing supply relative to the nature of affordable housing gateway demand.
• The development of guidance for dissemination by the Housing Advice Service and leaflets aimed at those who wish to down-size.
As already highlighted, I also expect that work is to commence soon to develop a forward planning assumption for housing requirements, and I expect my officers to feed into this.
Please could you provide further information on the progress made on the Supporting Sustainable Tenancy scheme.
The Supporting Successful Tenancies scheme aims to encourage landlords in the private rented sector to provide home to Islanders who are homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
The scheme brings together the range of incentives that are already available to private landlordsthrough Income Support, including the provision of a deposit loan and direct payment of a tenant's Income Support housing component to the landlord. It also establishes the assistance that the Housing Advice Service (HAS) will offer to landlords and tenants such as regular review meetings and the coordination of relevant agencies in providing support to tenants where necessary.
The scheme has been introduced to the Jersey Landlords Association (JLA), and officers from the HAS have met with its members to discuss participation in the scheme. There has been no uptake amongst members so far, owing to factors such as the availability of suitable properties. The HAS remains engaged with the JLA in the hope that the offer of the scheme can be taken up its members on a case-by-case basis.
The HAS does, nevertheless, work closely with private landlords outside the scheme where a tenant is at risk of becoming homeless. Officers will mediate between a landlord and a tenant to secure and sustain a tenancy, coordinate financial support, and refer the tenant to relevant agencies for support where necessary.
As Minister, my current focus is on formalising and enhancing the services offered by the HAS so that it can more effectively and proactively support Islanders who are homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness. A resourced project has been launched within Employment, Social Security and Housing to develop structured referral procedures, personalised housing plans, and a training and engagement programme to increase the visibility of the HAS. Whilst the main accommodation option for Islanders who are homeless is to access social rented housing, the enhancement of the services offered by HAS will provide a model for the team to work with landlords and secure accommodation in the private rented sector.
Officers from the HAS will also be undertaking training in March to implement the Tenancy Star outcome tool in Jersey.The tool can help underpin conversations between professionals and people using homelessness services to acknowledge their strengths and progress, as well as to identify their support needs in order to secure and maintain a tenancy.
- Please provide further details of the progress of the work being undertaken by the Minister with the Minister for Children and Families and Andium Homes to ensure that young people who have no parental support and do not have experience of living in care (and therefore supported through other schemes) have adequate support to access suitable accommodation.
The Housing Advice Service provides advice and assistance to young people who do not have parental support and do not have experience of living in care. Where the HAS identifies a young person who is homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness, support will be given to access accommodation, funding for costs such as rent and a deposit payments, and referrals to relevant agencies, including the Partnership Pathway.
In general, the referral route for young people under the age of 25 to access accommodation is through the Partnership Pathway, which is administered by Andium Homes. Young people can access the Partnership Pathway with the support of an agency such as the Shelter Trust's 
Strathmore 16-25 Project.
The focus of the HAS at this time is to strengthen relationships with voluntary and community organisations that support young people who are homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness, and to prevent homelessness from occurring again. Officers have been working with JAYF, for example, to provide a point of contact for its residents, determine their housing needs and offer holistic support so that they can access and sustain appropriate accommodation.
The current programme of work to strengthen the role and functions of the HAS, including referral pathways, standard operating procedures and personalised housing plans will help to improve the accessibility and quality of the service for young people. It is recognised that the HAS will need to consider appropriate ways of communicating with young people in order to ensure that they have access to it.
I trust this is of assistance to the Panel. Yours sincerely,
Deputy Sam Mézec Minister for Housing D +44 (0)1534 440624 E s.mezec@gov.je