Scotmid Co-operative, has shown its support for a new village for Edinburgh’s homeless by funding Social Bite Village’s Community Hub which is scheduled to open next month.
The village is an initiative from Social Bite – the social enterprise sandwich shop, which employs homeless people and recently welcomed a royal visit from Prince Harry and his fiancée Meghan Markle.
The aim of the pioneering project, based in Granton, is to help residents to tackle issues that have troubled them in society and allow them to regain a foothold on the jobs’ ladder as well as adding a fresh social housing offering for those in need.
The village’s Community Hub will create a safe, stress-free and inspiring communal space for residents to relax and engage with one another during their journey back into society after living in the Social Bite Village.
Both energy efficient and eco-friendly, the Community Hub a key component of the project will enable residents to learn ‘life skills’ such as money management guidance and cooking lessons, as well as provide a place to socialise and meet with mentors or health visitors, to help get their life back on track.
Scotmid Co-operative CEO John Brodie said: “This is an incredibly important initiative and, as soon as we were made aware of it, Scotmid was keen to help wherever possible. Scotmid is committed to making a difference to the lives of our communities and the Social Bite Village is a real example of this.
“We are really excited about what can be achieved and how this innovative project can address the homelessness situation in Scotland.”
Social Bite co-founder Josh Littlejohn thanked Scotmid for their sponsorship and says the project will offer credible alternative to what he believes is a ‘broken temporary accommodation system’ for homeless people.
Josh Littlejohn, co-founder of Social Bite, said: “The Community Hub is an integral part of the Social Bite Village and will play a vital role in the day-to-day lives of our residents. It will be a place where they can relax, dine and socialise with each other in a safe environment, as well as receive the necessary help and support they need to integrate back into society where they belong.
“I am so grateful to Scotmid Co-operative for their generous donation to fund this part of the project, and can’t stress how much of a difference this will make to the lives of those soon to be moving into the village.”
Image (left to right): Harry Cairney (Scotmid Co-Operative President), Josh Littlejohn (Social Bite co-founder), John Brodie (Scotmid Chief Executive), Shirley MacGillivray (Scotmid Deputy Secretary)