Guernsey nurse considered living in her car

Monica Simões said the reaction of some people online when she started looking for a new place to live surprised her

A nurse at Guernsey's Princess Elizabeth Hospital (PEH) said the lack of suitable housing almost forced her to live in her car or a tent.

For months Mónica Simões said she "struggled" to find suitable accommodation: "I thought I was going to have to go and buy a tent or sleep in my car, as it wasn't easy at all to find a room".

She eventually found a place in a houseshare, "I feel like I'm starting from scratch again", she said.

The Guernsey Housing Association has recently received planning permission for new keyworker accommodation on the site of the old CI Tyres building.

Recent figures showed HSC had more than 400 vacancies which the committe's President blamed on a lack of accomodation

Miss Simões said looking for housing had been "very stressful".

"There's not enough accomodation for hospital staff, let alone the rest of the population.

"I have family to provide for in Portugal, so it's hard to find a lot of money for a house, it's expensive," she said.

When she initially moved to Guernsey to be a nurse at the operating theatres in the PEH she received a relocation allowance, which helped her to rent a house.

The most recently published guidance from the States of Guernsey stated "it will make a one off payment of £5,000 to any employee relocating to the Bailiwick of Guernsey".

'People are struggling'

She said the rents were higher than when she arrived in the island, and she was now not in receipt of the allowance, which has meant it was even more difficult to find suitable accommodation this time around.

Figures from the end of June 2024 showed the average price of a rental property was £1,971 per month, 45.9% higher than five years ago.

"I'm sad, I like Guernsey, I like Guernsey people, it's a nice place to live, a safe place to live, the hospital is a great place to work.

"It's not just me, across the entire hospital people are struggling.

"There isn't enough accommodation that the States provides for the staff and they are full."

'I'm not here to steal local jobs'

When she was searching for somewhere to live she was surprised by the reaction from some people online: "Some people say there isn't enough for the locals, why do the foreigners want a place to live?

"I'm only here as there aren't enough specialised and trained persons who live here. I'm not here to steal anyone's job.

"If there were enough nurses here I wouldn't come here. I was like, 'What do people want me to do? Live in a tent? Or sleep in my car?'".

HSC President Al Brouard has admitted the biggest challenge facing his committee is a lack of accomodation for staff, meaning he is having to rely on agency staff at the PEH.

Leaders in the care sector have also blamed the current housing crisis for their difficulties recruiting suitable staff.

Guernsey's States is set to debate creating a committee for housing later this week, which those behind the proposals hope will help fix the current shortage of available properties.