Jersey homeless charity concerned over energy costs

Some islanders are struggling to heat their homes in cold temperatures, a homeless charity boss has warned.

The Shelter Trust chairman Mike Powell said he was concerned some people were “effectively rough sleeping at home” because they could not afford energy bills.

“We think with more cold months likely to come the problem will become more evident than it is at the moment,” he said.

Jersey Electricity (JE) said customers struggling with their bills should contact the energy provider while the Government of Jersey said there were a range of payments available to certain households to help during cold weather.

Powell said more than 100 people are being housed at the charity’s seven hostels – which he added was not a significant increase on previous years.

But he said he was concerned about about those who are “perilously close to becoming homeless” and he urged people to get in touch if they were financially struggling.

He added with food prices expected to rise further and with energy costs being a challenge “more and more people are going to need our support”.

“In those cases we can quite often provide meals,” he said.

Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, Social Security Minister said: “A range of measures are available to help households manage the cost of heating their homes this winter.”

He said these include cold weather payments for households on income support with a dependent who is over 65, under 3 or with a significant disability; a cold weather bonus for pensioners with no tax liability and low carbon heating grants for eligible households.

JE said it was “committed to supporting customers who are facing difficult decisions about whether they can afford to use their heating during the recent cold weather”.

It added: “Customers who may be struggling are encouraged to contact us to see what support we can offer.”

JE added that islanders could download the My JE app to help track and manage their electricity usage.