Advice service demand rises amid housing crisis
Citizens Advice Guernsey says rising housing shortages and cost pressures are making cases more complex and time-consuming.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Citizens Advice Guernsey says it helped more people in 2025, with housing the biggest driver of demand. The charity says cost-of-living pressures and a shortage of rental and social housing are stretching advisers and volunteers.
Citizens Advice Guernsey is like a busy help desk for people with problems. More people are coming in because finding a home is hard and everyday costs are high, so each person needs more time and help than before.
Analysis
Citizens Advice Guernsey’s annual report shows demand rising while the cases themselves are getting harder to resolve. The service supported 3,043 clients in 2025, up from 2,991 in 2024, and handled almost 5,700 separate issues.
Housing at the center
Housing was the largest source of demand, with more than 1,000 cases affecting 474 clients. The charity says rental housing is a “particularly difficult” area and points to a “chronic shortage of social housing.” It adds that housing problems often overlap with money strain or relationship breakdowns. As the report puts it, divorce and separation can worsen the shortage because separated couples may need two homes.
More time, more pressure
The average time spent with each client rose from 51 minutes to 54 minutes. The charity said that translated into about 150 extra hours of adviser time overall, which it uses as evidence that client needs are becoming more complex and adviser resources are under greater strain. More than 10,000 volunteer hours were needed to keep the service running in 2025.
Employment issues were the second-most common concern, followed by legal matters and family matters. The organisation also warns that demand is likely to keep rising if the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit people who are already struggling, as well as those who have only just been managing to get by.
Key points
- Citizens Advice Guernsey supported 3,043 clients in 2025, up from 2,991 in 2024.
- The service handled almost 5,700 separate issues and spent longer on each client than the year before.
- Housing was the biggest driver, with more than 1,000 cases and 474 clients affected.
- The charity says rental housing is difficult and social housing remains in chronic short supply.
- It expects demand to keep rising if cost-of-living pressures continue.
If housing supply improves, fewer people may arrive with the same kind of urgent problems, which could reduce pressure on the advice service. More stable housing could also ease some of the money and family stress that the charity says often sits behind these cases.
If rental shortages and the lack of social housing continue, demand could keep rising and cases could become even more complicated. The charity warns that continuing cost-of-living pressure may hit both people already struggling and those who are only just coping, putting more strain on volunteers and advisers.
