Council Invests In ‘Micro Homes’ To Help UK Housing Crisis
Published
A council in the UK has bought a number of 'micro homes' to be placed in different locations to address the housing crisis in the region.
Cornwall Council has invested in modular one-bedroom, self-contained homes to give single homeless people a permanent home.
Twenty-nine units will be placed around the council across the next few months, which the council hopes will make a significant difference in the housing crisis.
Olly Monk, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning at Cornwall Council, said: "Buying and deploying permanent quality modular homes such as these will allow us to put homes in key locations throughout the Duchy.
"This is about us recognising that there are people in our communities that really need our help, and us providing them with an exceptional quality housing solution that can be deployed quickly."
The homes are expected to have a 60-year lifespan and feature a kitchen, living and dining area, bedroom and bathroom.
The homes have also been purchased by Cambridge City Council and have been set up in single storey or two storey arrangements, connected to power and water.
A number of other councils in the UK have also purchased similar homes to combat the housing crisis, including some London boroughs.
Andy Hill, group chief executive at Hill, the company that builds the homes, said: "We're thrilled to be supporting Cornwall Council's efforts to reduce homelessness at a time of major pressure on the housing market.
"We designed the SoloHaus units to be safe, high-quality homes for some of the most vulnerable people in society and we hope that Cornwall residents will enjoy living in them."
According to 2019 data from housing and homelessness charity Shelter, there are approximately 259,372 individuals homeless in England on any given night.
This figure is made up of 4,677 rough sleepers and 254,695 living in temporary accommodation.
That works out to about one in every 52 residents who are homeless.
Each unit is 8m x 4m x 3m, can be stacked with a staircase and is delivered to councils fully furnished.
The houses are built to be wheelchair accessible and secure, with all national regulations around emergency exits and safety met.
They have integrated cabling for broadband and TV and a single air source heat pump provides warmth for six homes.
