Social Bite’s waterfront village homes to be ready by Christmas
A new village for homeless people will be up and running before Christmas. The Social Bite Village on Granton’s waterfront will be made up of 10 two-bedroom homes that can be moved and transported.
The village is being built on a 1.5-acre site of council land which has been given over to Social Bite on a temporary basis.
As well as providing ten new homes the village will have a communal area where residents can eat together, socialise, work, learn and get support.
More than 300 of Scotland’s most recognised people, including Edinburgh’s super-Olympian Sir Chris Hoy and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, braved the elements and slept out overnight to raise the £500,000 needed for the project last December.
Josh Littlejohn, co-founder of Social Bite, the social enterprise sandwich chain which supports and employs homeless people, said: “We’re so pleased that the Social Bite village will be up and running this year and we’re edging closer and closer to creating what we believe can be an effective alternative to a broken temporary accommodation system for people struggling with homelessness.
“Only seven months ago we experienced an incredible night with some of the country’s most successful and influential people taking part in our CEO Sleep Out to raise the money that would turn this from a nice idea into a reality and make a real impact to people who need our help.
“Now we’re about to break ground on the site and the first house will be displayed in St Andrew Square throughout August for anyone to come and see.
“The end result will be an inclusive, compassionate community that will provide a vital support network to people who are ready to be helped back into society.
“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 that makes a difference.”
Social Bite’s main charity partner on the project is Cyrenians, who bring nearly fifty years of experience in providing support within residential therapeutic community environments and will now help with the process of placing the village’s first 20 residents and working on their integration back into society.
Residents will be made up of those living in unsupported temporary accommodation, shelters, hostels and B&Bs and they will have a dedicated support team from Social Bite and Cyrenians to help them transition into permanent accommodation and employment.
The village will provide a safe living environment for up to 20 people from a homeless background for around 12 months at a time, with residents then beginning their transition back into society.
Ewan Aitken, chief executive of Cyrenians, said: “Through participation in the Social Bite Village we’ll support residents to build and nurture their relationships, find employment, to manage their money and once they move on, to maintain a tenancy.”
A new company has been set up to manage the project. Social Bite Communities Ltd has been created as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Social Bite charity.
The homes, designed by architect Jonathan Avery of Tiny House Scotland, are being manufactured by Carbon Dynamics. The homes are based on Avery’s innovative, highly insulated ‘NestHouse’ model. The energy efficient, eco-friendly, sustainable homes will each have two loft bedrooms, a shared WC with shower, a lounge with a wood burner and a small kitchen and dining area.
The first of the new homes will be on show in St Andrew Square for the duration of the Edinburgh Festival before it is placed in the village.
A new company has been set up to manage the project. Social Bite Communities Ltd has been created as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Social Bite charity.
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