During her visit to Edinburgh the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner has visited the Social Bite Village. She also has a role as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Ms Rayner was given a tour of the village in Granton where the small Nest Houses give homeless people the change to break the cycle and have somewhere to call home. The village is a supportive and nurturing environment based on housing first accompanied by wrap around care.
The village was founded by the Social Bite charity led by Josh Littlejohn MBE, and the caring part of the enterprise is run in conjunction with Cyrenians. CEO of Cyrenians, Ewan Aitken, was also a Labour politician. He is a former Labour councillor and in 2006 was appointed Council Leader in Edinburgh.
Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister said: “The Social Bite Village is an amazing project that is helping people in Edinburgh who are dealing with homelessness, and building a solution to the problems with temporary accommodation. As a Government, we will take action to build more social and affordable housing, give families a better route to a secure home, and get back on track to ending homelessness for good.”
Josh Littlejohn said: “The housing emergency is one of the most significant issues affecting the UK today, so we were delighted to welcome Angela Rayner to the Social Bite Village to discuss our pioneering approach to ending homelessness. The Deputy Prime Minister was keen to learn more about our supported community model and the innovative manufacturing process behind our Nest Houses, which gives people living in our Villages a welcoming space in which to make a fresh start..”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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