A small village for homeless residents has opened in the west of Scotland with the aim of empowering tenants with responsibility and time to get their lives back on track.
The charity Social Bite has partnered with the Salvation Army for the management of the South Lanarkshire homeless village, called Harriet Gardens, which it spent some $3.5 million to build.
Consisting of 15 “nest” units with 1 bed and 1 bath, Harriet Gardens residents will share a gym, community space, and cooking facilities. Social Bite’s Josh Littlejohn believes it will be a big improvement over government sponsored homeless hostels, which generally create an environment of chaos.
“Maybe these places aren’t fit for purpose anymore, and they’re expensive—Glasgow and Edinburgh councils are spending millions and millions on accommodation,” Littlejohn said to BBC News Scotland.
“If you create an environment where people grow in confidence, build relationships and then leave homelessness behind, then that is the first step in tackling homelessness as a problem.”
In South Lanarkshire, some 1,500 residents are considered homeless, an increase over the last 6 years of 33%.
Jacqueline Fernie, a homelessness and housing manager for South Lanarkshire Council, visited Social Bite’s village location in Edinburgh and decided she wanted to see the same in her own jurisdiction.
Fernie views the independence and responsibility of renting a tiny home as being the right catalyst for someone being able to reverse course. The Salvation Army will be on site 24/7 to provide support of any kind for residents, including “practical help, emotional support and guidance with day‑to‑day challenges,” Social Bite writes on its website.
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Weekly activities organized by Salvation Army and local community partners, as Harriet Gardens was built on disused land that was formerly a saw mill but which is nevertheless set amid a residential area, are aimed at building skills, better health, and the calm reassurance of a routine to people all too used to unpredictability.
While Social Bite was met with some opposition from local residents who didn’t want a homeless encampment in the middle of their community, Littlejohn said their concerns were mostly just that—thinking that he was building an encampment.
On the other hand, some groups, such as a local gardening club Grow 73, were proactive in reaching out to offer support and a line of connectivity for residents of Harriet Gardens with the broader community.
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I’ve never seen that happen in Scotland before. It looks a b it like a holiday cottage for people to have a holiday in. However a cottage is quite small which is a bit like a cabin. But it seems nice.