The government is looking to find alternative arrangements for the island’s homeless in expectation of hoteliers wanting rooms back for TT.
Chair of the housing communities board David Ashford faced a series of questions on the issue in Keys this week.
Mr Ashford revealed that between January and March, 2,955 bed nights were provided to people presenting to Manx Care as homeless, with a total cost of £187,990.
“The demand for this service has been higher than anticipated, which in my view, shows a need that was not necessarily visible until now,” he said.
Concerns
Jason Moorhouse raised concerns about the lack of data on the number of individuals assisted and their ongoing needs.
Mr Ashford said he would circulate the figures when he had them and added that while some individuals require repeat assistance, others are successfully supported and no longer need help.
It’s not sustainable in the long term to be continuing with the way things are.”
David Ashford
With TT approaching, Mr Moorhouse questioned how many homeless individuals would need to be relocated from hotels and B&Bs.
Mr Ashford said: “But alternative accommodation is being sourced because we know from last year’s experience that as we come up to TT, quite likely the hotel years and the bed and breakfast establishments wanting rooms back for them, for their customers over that period.”
Reassurance
Rob Callister sought reassurance that the government was capturing the true scale of homelessness, amid concerns that people living on sofas may not be recorded.
Mr Ashford acknowledged gaps but stressed the service’s success: “There are individuals out there who we probably aren’t capturing, but that is mainly because there’s people who, for whatever reasons, don’t feel they want to come forward.”
He also cited an example of someone living in a camper van who declined assistance.
Tim Glover asked about improvements to the service with Mr Ashford outlining plans for a “more sustainable emergency accommodation model” and highlighting the recent deployment of a Manx Care social worker team to provide wraparound support.
“It’s about identifying the entire package and the underlying reasons that they may be homeless in the first place,” he said.
Costs
Julie Edge raised concerns about costs, noting the average bed night cost £63.
Mr Ashford confirmed the homelessness pathway budget for 2024/25 was £477,027 and acknowledged the need for long-term solutions.
He said: “It’s not sustainable in the long term to be continuing with the way things are.”
Chris Thomas questioned funding sustainability and administrative processes.
Mr Ashford clarified that payments operate on a “reclaim principle” but admitted: “We have seen far more demand than we were actually anticipating.”
He emphasised the need to address underlying causes, calling homelessness a “disparate amount of different issues.”
Put me Up
Mr Callister later urged transparency, requesting published data to better understand the problem. Mr Ashford agreed: “I’m fully in favour of open data, so I’m more than happy to go away and see what data we’ve got and we can actually publish.”
Ms Edge also queried residency criteria for homelessness support.
Mr Ashford confirmed applicants must be Isle of Man residents for at least five years: “You can’t just turn up off the boat, dial into the homelessness pathway and say, I’m homeless, put me up.”
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