Social Bite homeless village gets licence approval

The houses are being constructed in the Granton area of the city

A charity has been given the go-ahead to open a village for the homeless after councillors approved its licence.

Members of the city council's licensing sub-committee gave the Social Bite application the green light after it had been recommended for approval by officers.

The Social Bite village is currently under construction in Granton.

Charlotte Turner, head of corporate catering, briefed the committee on the plans for the village.

She said: "We would like the caravan licence to open the Social Bite village which will be an innovative, supportive community for up to 20 people to stay for around 12 to 18 months.

"The aim is to empower each individual with the skills required to maintain an independent meaningful life away from homelessness and associated issues such as unemployment, relationship breakdowns, debt, addiction and mental health."

She added: "The residents will be people who are currently living in temporary accommodation, shelters and B&Bs - which from our experience, many of the people housed in these settings have very little hope or support for opportunities to help them break out of homelessness.

"We will be working with Cyrenians who have 50 years of experience of providing support within residential therapeutic community settings."

The village will be made up of 10 two-bedroom properties.