Plans to build a village for homeless people, including a village hall and a green space, alongside the Bridgewater Canal in Manchester have been approved by the city council on 29 July.
The Manchester Evening News reports that developer Capital & Centric described the shipping container village project as ‘trailblazing’ and that it would ‘take a holistic approach to battling homelessness’, while Sid Williams, director of the homeless charity Embassy, said the scheme would provide daily support.
Embassy said all residents would be interviewed and triaged before moving in. The site in Castlefield would have a strict zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy and the homes would be offered to those willing to take on new opportunities.
According to the charity, 85 per cent of rough sleepers are men, so the scheme is being offered to them, while a separate project for women is being launched independently.
Mr Williams said he was ‘ecstatic’ and added the scheme would ‘help get people back on their feet’.
“The idea is to give people a front door,” he said adding that it would enable homelessness to be “nipped in the bud quickly”.
“The whole thing is a live run in managing a home.”
The site is owned by Peel L&P, which is working with Capital & Centric and the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity to deliver the scheme.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity said the group was ‘thrilled’ with the decision.
“Stable, supported accommodation such as this is crucial to addressing rough sleeping and homelessness, acting as a stepping stone for people to move onto the next, positive chapter of their lives,” she added.
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