Council to build homeless village in Rutherglen

South Lanarkshire Council has announced its plans to build a homeless village in Rutherglen.

The 15-unit housing estate, which will be built on Harriet Street in Rutherglen, will be developed in partnership with the social enterprise and homelessness organisation Social Bite.

Social Bite first approached the South Lanarkshire local authority with proposals for the village back in 2020, and has put forward £1.6 million to fund the initiative.

The village is intended to provide temporary accommodation for the local authority’s homeless population that are currently being housed in the Premier Inn.

The housing units will be designed as carbon neutral cabins that could function for up to 60 years.

Andrea Cowan, SNP council for Rutherglen Central and North, said: “We are delighted about this initiative. Social Bite approached the council with proposals for the development as they have a similar homeless village in Edinburgh and were looking to expand the project.

“In terms of how the plan will work, the council’s housing department will make the decisions about who moves into the accommodation. There will be peer support and professional support onsite 24-hours to support those in the village.

“These plans don’t quite go far enough, and we are still short on what modelling recommends for us in terms of providing homeless accommodation. But it is still a significant project.”

The homeless village has been approved on a 5-year lease that will be reviewed and potentially renewed following this period.