The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Innovative project helping to break cycle of homelessness
The Social Bite Village supports people who sleep rough as they turn their lives around
How can anyone be expected to turn their lives around if they don’t have a place to call home? Answering this question is at the heart of the ethos at the Social Bite Village.
The collection of micro-houses on council land in the Granton district of Edinburgh opened its doors at the beginning of July.
Clustered around a large communal space, they are now home to 18 people who were once homeless.
Kathy Hoyle is the village manager. She works for the Cyrenians charity, which provides staffing at the village.
Each unit has two bedrooms and houses two people.
“Some of them were long-term homeless and all of them have experienced homelessness before they came here,” Kathy explains.
“Having a place they can call home means they’re not hopping from one bed and breakfast to another or sleeping rough. It’s impossible for them to address their issues or come up with a plan for the future if all their energies are devoted towards finding a place to sleep at night.”
The houses are just part of the Social Bite Village, though.
“The big thing is our communal space,” Kathy continues. “It’s a big open area where people can cook, get to know each other and just hang out.
“We run yoga classes and mindfulness classes as part of our health and wellbeing programme. We also teach people how to cook, which is a key skill for them to have when they move on from here.”
Social Bite Village has a staff of around seven, with a pair of key workers who help oversee an action plan for each resident, and a team of community workers who help plan and run events, as well as looking after day-to-day issues.
People with addiction issues have to have completed six months of treatment before moving in and residents are expected to stay for around 12-18 months – although Kathy stresses no one will be kicked out against their will.
“That’s just the amount of time it generally takes for people to be ready to move on,” she says.
“It’s early days at the moment but we’ve already got some people who are
We have great views over the sea and there’s even a resident dog. KATHY HOYLE
in employment, education or training.”
Along with giving people a stable place to call home, the village’s other main goal is community. “It’s all about looking after each other, coming together and developing empathy,” said Kathy.
“We want to provide as calm, tranquil and happy a home as possible. We have great views over the sea and there’s even a resident dog.”
Social Bite is a charity devoted to ending homelessness in Scotland. It’s holding a series of Sleep in the Park events in four Scottish cities, including Dundee, on December 8. Celebrities including musicians KT Tunstall, Kyle Falconer and Amy Macdonald, and novelist Irvine Welsh will be supporting the sleep out with entertainment.