10 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scots charity expanding services amidst housing crisis
Miller told The Herald about the charity's fight against the housing crisis which has swept across Scotland in recent years.
He said: 'I'm overseeing three projects. We are currently relocating the Social Bite village in Granton to a site half a mile down the road, and we're also building new villages in Rutherglen and Dundee.'
Scotland is experiencing a nationwide housing shortage. (Image: Joe Giddens / PA) Each village will have a large community hub on site as well as a number of houses. The hubs, which will be staffed 24-7, will have counselling rooms and spaces for life skills, budgeting, and cooking.
'They are a really cool place to hang out,' Miller said. 'In our current village in Granton, I always have a coffee when I come around and a resident served some orange cake last time.'
Another unique feature of the villages will be their modular nature. 95% of each individual home will be built on the factory floor before being transported on-site, using Scottish timber and locally sourced materials. This allows Social Bite to keep costs down, Miller said.
'We aren't getting government funding for this,' he added. 'Capital funding is generated through donors, everyone from small individual giving campaigns right up to big corporate partners. We've had lots of support from contractors and consultants, and we can drive down the cost per unit by working with suppliers.
'There will always be strain on government purses, so it's massive to have other sources of funding.'
Once completed, the villages will be able to house around 25 people at a time.
Another key aspect of the charity, which is partially funded by coffee shops in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen, is the Jobs First Programme, which has helped to employ 110 people over the last four years.
Social Bite staff provide training and support for workers and employers over a fifteen month period, helping to secure jobs for people experiencing homelessness.
Emma Colgan-Blair, who runs the programme, explained how it works.
'We approach our partners and see what vacancies they might be able to offer, and find out what skills would people need to have.
'When companies sign up to the scheme, they sign up for the training as well. We then post the advert out to our charity partners."
Social Bite has previously partnered with Itison for their Christmas funds drvie. (Image: Herald Picture Agency) The charity does not accept applicants who are rough sleeping, as Colgan-Blair says this would create 'unfair' stress for those who are unsure about where they will sleep or shower.
She added: 'We work with lots of different people, from those who are in temporary accommodation or are sofa surfing with a family member or friend. Some are obtaining a tenancy and work is one of those next steps.
'We make sure that they have support in terms of their mental health and recovery if there are ongoing support needs.'
Indeed, while the Granton and Rutherglen sites will be primarily used as interim accommodation for homeless people, the Dundee village will be based around drugs recovery.
Miller said: 'While we get a lot of goodwill compared to other people who try to develop, there are always institutional issues around gaining consent and land. It sometimes feels like you are battling against it. We work with local authorities to identify land we can build on, but there are always some delivery challenges.'
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Miller hopes the village model can be replicated across the UK.
He said: 'We are creating a blueprint to show what can be done in supported accommodation space. Typically the sector puts people in B&B's and hotels and stuff, which are not designed for long term use. Whilst that gives someone a room, we believe that giving someone something to be proud of is really important.
'Having a high quality home that is yours and having support on site from professionals and peers across the village is what it's all about.
'It would be great to see that blueprint be rolled out across different local authorities around the UK. We've proven we can do this.'
Colgan-Blair agrees.
She told The Herald: 'We want to be part of the solution, and I definitely think that working with employers who know what the situation is like for people in the ground will hopefully turn [the system] on its head a wee bit.'
