FIRST Minister John Swinney has visited residents at Social Bite’s Edinburgh village as the homelessness charity has called for the model to be rolled out across the UK.
The charity Social Bite first set up its Edinburgh village in Granton in 2018 as an alternative to traditional forms of temporary accommodation for homeless people.
The idea encourages the use of modular housing and communities on derelict land as an impactful and cost-effective solution to addressing the UK housing crisis.
During his visit on Wednesday, Swinney said the village was doing “vital work” to support people through crisis and help them rebuild their lives.
“I would like to express my gratitude to residents for welcoming me into their homes and giving me the opportunity to hear more about their experiences,” he said.
“The Scottish Government’s priority is always to help people experiencing homelessness access settled, permanent housing as quickly as possible.
“However, for a small number of people, a move directly into mainstream housing may not be what they need or want at that stage of their journey.”
For those individuals, Swinney said supported housing could provide the stability, tailored support and sense of community needed to build confidence and prepare for long-term independence.
Since 2023, 14 Scottish councils have declared housing and homelessness emergencies, and it continues to be an issue across the UK.
Social Bite has urged both the Scottish and UK Governments to explore adopting the village model in cities across the UK.
Josh Littlejohn, chief executive of Social Bite, said: “We want local authorities across Scotland to adopt and invest in the Village Model as a proven, scalable approach to tackling homelessness.
“By transforming derelict and unused land into high-quality temporary accommodation, alongside the right support, we can help people move towards safe, secure and permanent housing.
“We know that the model works and we are now appealing for government and local authorities to help us take this model across the UK.
“We hope the First Minister’s visit demonstrates what is possible when we work together to create better solutions to homelessness.”
The Edinburgh village, which reopened at its new Granton Waterfront location in June after relocating from a nearby site, has helped about 100 people move on from homelessness.
It is home to eight people who have experienced homelessness in a variety of forms, including living in B&Bs or temporary accommodation, sofa surfing and sleeping on the streets.
Residents have access to a range of support services, including skills training, counselling and guidance towards employment and permanent accommodation.
It is delivered in partnership with Cyrenians, the Scottish charity founded to support people affected by homelessness, poverty, and social exclusion.
After the success of the Edinburgh project, Social Bite has partnered with South Lanarkshire Council to open its second village on Harriet Street in Rutherglen in April, comprising 15 modern, sustainable modular homes.
The First Minister said: “The Scottish Government will continue to do all we can to prevent homelessness happening in the first place – working closely with charities, partners and local authorities in pursuit of that aim.
“Our £50 million Homelessness Prevention Fund will help to build up capacity of communities and public services to act earlier, supporting people before situations become critical and embedding prevention across organisations that interact with those at risk.”
