Social Bite’s John Littlejohn MBE hopes to ease community concerns in a consultation before a Rutherglen ‘industrial wasteland’ is transformed into a village for the homeless.
It was announced this week on Wednesday, April 24, that a 15-unit homeless village will be built at Harriet Street - on the brownfield site and the old Westfield Timber.
The village will consist of 15 modern, sustainable modular homes, known as Nest houses, accompanied by a dynamic community hub and outdoor gym.
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This week, councillors on the housing and technical resources committee welcomed the plans, which have been in the works for over two years.
The local authority will join Social Bite in the innovative approach to homelessness, based on a model which has operated successfully in Edinburgh since 2018, whereby Social Bite provides temporary accommodation for homeless people through an innovative partnership with the city council.
Josh Littlejohn MBE, founder of Social Bite, emphasised the urgent need for innovative solutions in addressing homelessness, and said: “It is definitely exciting as it was a long process, but we are starting to see a lot of momentum.
“This move into Rutherglen was sparked by the project we have going on in Edinburgh, which has been running for six years. We turned around a derelict wasteland and turned it into a little village - which helped over 100 people.
“We wanted to not just replicate it here, but also improve upon it. We approached South Lanarkshire Council and they were keen to collaborate.
“This new village will establish a transformative model of accommodation that not only provides beautiful homes to live in but also helps to break the cycle of homelessness for the individuals that will move in by giving people all the support they need.”
The charity and social enterprise will be entering into a community consultation stage and applying for planning permission following the decision made yesterday by the South Lanarkshire Council.
A decision on the application is expected in Q3 2024, paving the way for construction of the homes and hub, beginning in autumn 2025. The first residents are expected to move in the summer of 2025.
Josh is looking to ease the concerns of the local community in upcoming public consultations, and continued: “It’s important to us that the local community are part of this journey. As we begin to embed plans for this new village, we’ll look to start public consultation in the coming months.
“Naturally, whenever you do a project for a more vulnerable demographic like homeless people, there can be anxiety within the community, but we have a great track record where we have never had a single complaint because of how well-liked and impeded it is within the community.
“As long as it is well executed and well run on the site, then people’s concerns can be alleviated.
“The site is currently an industrial wasteland, so sitting as it is, is not doing the local area any good at all.
“When people hear the word ‘homeless’, they assume some terrible hostel, but when people hear the details, then those concerns will be put to bed.
“A lot of people really care about the homelessness issue and you can’t get any more tangible when thinking about homelessness than building homes. It is the kind of thing people will hopefully rally around and I am really excited to see it come to life.”
Working in partnership with South Lanarkshire Council, their Head of Housing Services, Sharon Egan, added: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Social Bite on this innovative project.
“The energy-efficient modular housing, with housing support, will assist our customers, who are faced with homelessness and the trauma that this brings.
“This exciting partnership will bring training and employment opportunities to our customers, will invest in the local community and support community wealth.
“This addition to our temporary accommodation comes at an integral point where South Lanarkshire are experiencing unprecedented levels of homelessness.
“This investment in the local community will help transform an unused brownfield site into a visually pleasing development with real and lasting benefits to homeless people.
“We are keen to encourage community engagement and involvement throughout the process and will of course take into account local people’s views.”
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