Citizens Advice Guernsey is grappling with rising demand and increasingly complex cases driven by housing shortages and cost of living pressures, according to its latest annual report.
In 2025, the advice service supported 3,043 clients, tackling nearly 5,700 individual issues — up from 2,991 clients the previous year. Advisers spent an average of 54 minutes per client, up from 51 minutes, amounting to roughly 150 extra hours of adviser time overall.
The charity highlighted that the growing time spent per case reflects "the increasing complexity of client needs and the growing demand on our adviser resources." To keep the service running, more than 10,000 volunteer hours were needed in 2025.
Housing was the primary driver of demand, accounting for over 1,000 cases and affecting 474 clients. The charity noted that rental housing was a "particularly difficult" area, compounded by a "chronic shortage of social housing."
Employment issues ranked second among concerns, followed by legal and family matters. However, housing often lay at the root of many cases, frequently linked to financial strain or relationship breakdowns.
"Divorce and separation often add to the housing shortage, because the separated couple need two homes," the report stated.
The charity warned that the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is likely to keep pushing demand higher, impacting both those already struggling and those barely managing.
"It is anticipated that with the continuing cost-of-living crisis, this is going to impact further on those who are already struggling, as well as those who have just managed to survive thus far," it said.
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