A village for homeless people set to open in Edinburgh

omotolani

June 15, 2018 11:08 AM

All these took two years of planning and 10 months of building to complete.

Social Bite, a social business, will be opening a village for homeless people in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Architect Jonathan Avery of Tiny House Scotland designed the buildings to be sustainable, energy efficient and highly insulated. According to Avery, the Social Bite Village has 11 NestHouses, each of which has two bedrooms, a shared WC and shower, a comfy lounge area and a compact kitchenette.

ALSO READ: You won't find weed if you travel to Ganja

Located in Granton, the supportive homes can accommodate up to 20 people for between 12 and 18 months, during which permanent homes can be found. After the first group moves out, a new set of residents will move in.

ALSO READ: How African languages are going digital

The land on which the village is built was donated by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Social Bite co-founder Josh Littlejohn says, "The project has utilised vacant council-owned land with a beautiful pre-fabricated house design to create a bespoke community environment. When the first residents arrive next month, they’ll become part of a safe, positive and supported community."

Funds were raised from Social Bite’s mass sleepouts: the CEO Sleepout in 2016 and Sleep in the Park 2017, where 8,000 people slept rough on one of the coldest nights of the year, raising millions to end homelessness in Scotland.

omotolani