Work starts on ‘homeless village’

CONSTRUCTION work on Scotland’s first ‘village for the homeless’ has begun, meaning residents could move in before Christmas.

Homeless campaign group Social Bite– which has been supported by Hollywood stars George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio – confirmed yesterday that ten two-bedroom homes and a communal building are under construction.

The portable units, being built off site, will be erected on a 1.5 acre piece of unused council land in Granton, Edinburgh, in November.

The complex will house 20 people who are free from ‘serious addictions’ and are homeless or living unsupported in temporary accommodation such as shelters and hostels. Money for the houses was raised from a campaign in December which saw more than 300 of Scotland’s most influential people – including Olympian Sir Chris Hoy – sleep rough overnight to raise £500,000.

The wooden homes have two loft bedrooms, lounge with wood burner and a small kitchen with dining area.

People will get their first glimpse of the homes when a prototype is displayed in St Andrew Square during the Edinburgh Festival in August.

Project co-founder Josh Littlejohn said: ‘We’re edging closer to creating what we believe can be an effective alternative to a broken temporary accommodation system for people struggling with homelessness.

‘The village is only a small part of a much bigger answer required to end homelessness but it could be a blueprint for how social enterprise, charity, council and corporates work together on a solution.’

Residents will have a dedicated support team from charity partner Cyrenians during their stay. The team will assist them with their transition to permanent accommodation and employment.

A new group of 20 homeless people will then take their place in the village after 12 months, until the City of Edinburgh Council reclaims the land when it is needed for development.