From Derelict Land to Housing for the Homeless – Social Bite Village

Many homeless people are marginalised, living on the edges of society with significant social intervention needed to help them break out of the homelessness cycle. With a ‘housing first’ approach, the right support, and an opportunity to gain employment within a matter of months, many homeless people can once again become thriving, independent members of society.

With funds raised from Sleep in the Park events, the Social Bite Village was built in May 2018 and 39 people have since been housed in the bespoke accommodation. 

Securing a long-term lease from Edinburgh City Council on a vacant patch of land allowed social enterprise Social Bite to build an innovative, low cost, safe living environment for up to 20 people who had been living in mostly unsupported temporary accommodation, shelters, and B&Bs.

The Social Bite Village is much more than just housing; it’s a community where residents learn new skills to get their life back on track, receiving extensive work placements and employability support. After 12-18 months, residents transition into permanent accommodation, breaking out of the cycle of homelessness and becoming an independent member of society.

Social Bite have now announced plans to build two new Villages, with target sites of vacant land in Glasgow and London. Olympic cycling hero Sir Chris Hoy is backing the ‘Break the Cycle’ campaign to raise £1m to help fund these two new villages. Sir Chris will cycle a 60-mile route from Glasgow to Edinburgh with 1,000 fellow riders to raise money for the cause.

To support the campaign visit: https://www.breakthecycle.co.uk

Find out more about how you can get involved.

For more information about vacant and derelict land in your area, please visit: Scottish Land Commission – Transforming Vacant and Derelict Land