What is the Social Bite Village?
The Social Bite Village in Edinburgh is an innovative, highly supported community run in partnership with Cyrenians. The purpose of the Village is to offer the right support, living environment and opportunities for up to 20 people affected by homelessness, to help them towards an independent life.
The Village is made up of 10 ‘Nest Houses’ – each shared by two residents plus an additional unit for staff. There is also a large, central Community Hub, which is the focus of community life – where residents can cook, eat and socialise together. The Hub is also the base for much of our training and support activities.
Why is the Social Bite village needed?
The idea for Social Bite Village came out of conversations Social Bite had with people supported by and employed in our social enterprises, who had experience of living in temporary accommodation. They told us that often this type of accommodation does not provide a suitable platform for people to escape from homelessness, so we took action.
In major UK cities, there are traditionally two forms of temporary homelessness accommodation: Homeless Hostels, and Homeless Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs). Criticism from people who have stayed in these types of accommodation of accommodation often include:
- A lack of autonomy in relation to curfews
- Time restrictions for when you have to be in or out of the accommodation
- A lack of facilities for cooking and cleaning
- A negative experience of the social environment which can compound mental health and addiction challenges
- A lack of support to improve their situation
Take a look at our video for more on how the Social bite Village in Edinburgh came to be.
Help us build two new villages
The success of the Social Bite Village in Edinburgh has proven that with the right support and a safe place to call home, we can support people out of homelessness. We are currently working towards building two further villages in Scotland, to offer more people the same opportunity. Donate now to help us make this a reality.
What is it like to live at the Village?
There is an active weekly timetable including opportunities ranging from yoga, ‘daily mile’, and bike rides, to a cooking club and DJ sessions. We anticipate Community members will live at the Village for approximately 12-18 months. Over this time, people will contribute to the life of the community, learn a range of new skills and engage in work and voluntary placements.
After 12-18 months, we will support residents into permanent accommodation and support them to make this transition ‘stick’. As each person moves on, a new Community Member will join to be supported and mentored by their fellow community members. Community Members are people who were previously living in temporary/emergency accommodation including homeless hostels and B&Bs.
The Village is designed to be an active and highly supportive community. We have engaged partners, Cyrenians, to provide a highly skilled and experienced staff and volunteer team at the Village. Staff and volunteers are crucial in providing positive role models to residents, running a health and wellbeing programme as well as being a consistent and supportive presence on site.
In addition, Hillcrest Housing Association is a partner in the project and provides a Housing Officer who manages each resident’s occupancy. Hillcrest also provide facilities management for the Village ensuring the buildings and site are maintained to the highest standard.
Social Bite believes for a community to be truly transformational, it is fundamental that Community Members are involved in the shaping and forming of it, at every stage. The Social Bite Village is an experimental project, built upon the expertise and lived experience of those who have created similar developments. The Social Bite Village was built thanks to a massive collective effort from a range of companies and individuals, supplying everything from windows to project management expertise. The project spurred the public’s imagination and stands as a tangible symbol for hope and doing things differently.
Creating a Blueprint
The overall ambition is to create a full circle solution to the issue of homelessness – from housing support to employment. In doing so we hope to alter the course of some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people for the better – swapping a destiny of poverty and exclusion for one of compassionate support and inclusion. This, in turn, will provide a blueprint for addressing homelessness that can be replicated either by other private individuals, other charities or governments in Scotland or further afield.
We do not believe this is a one-stop solution for all homelessness, but for a subset of the homeless population who have fewer complex-needs, do not have a present addiction issue, and are motivated by living in a community and achieving employment and independent living. We believe we can create a scalable solution.
