Social Bite, a charity addressing homelessness founded in 2012, will move its current Edinburgh village to a new waterfront location in Granton, where it is scheduled to move in early 2025 if approved.
The new location would provide a stable communal space for up to 16 residents who have experienced homelessness. The shared areas would allow villagers to gather, cook, and relax together. The current village includes 10 ‘Nest Houses,’ each shared by two villagers. Following resident feedback, the charity plans to revamp this by introducing seven new one–bedroom nest houses.
The charity has a steering committee overseeing the plans for the move, including the founder of Social Bite, Josh Littlejohn MBE, and their partner Cyrenians. This homelessness prevention organization has been managing the village since 2018 and is an active collaborator in the relocation.
According to EdinburghLive, Littlejohn said that “the new site we’re entering an application for is a combination of all the best bits from our current position in Granton, with added greenspace, sea views, and the introduction of some newly designed Nest Houses to meet our resident’s needs”.
Littlejohn is “hopeful” that the planning application will be approved “for the sake of the people who we provide accommodation for”.
Ewan Aitken, Chief Executive of Cyrenians, highlighted the “acute shortage of supported housing for people experiencing homelessness” in Edinburgh. He aims to “make a lasting difference to people facing homelessness in the city”.
“Social Bite” by afagen is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.