Whitehill's new pods to bring homeless in from cold
The safe haven has been set up outside Pinewood Village Hall.
A former community hall in Whitehill and Bordon has been transformed into a safe haven for homeless people thanks to an innovative partnership between East Hampshire District Council, a housing manufacturer and a local charity.
Pinewood Village Hall, on Rydal Close, has been fitted with ten individual ‘pods’ to serve as much-needed temporary accommodation for people without a home of their own.
The pioneering, sustainable design has been delivered by construction company Velocity RDT, which designs and manufactures affordable, technologically advanced temporary housing.
Councillor Julie Butler said: ‘This is a clever and innovative way of tackling homelessness in East Hampshire and helping some of our most vulnerable residents.
‘The pods are brilliantly-designed, safe, private and environmentally-friendly. They will give people secure and supervised accommodation at a time when they need it most of all.
‘This scheme also makes fantastic use of a community building that no longer serves a purpose. I am thrilled to see the pods complete but most of all I am looking forward to seeing them help people who have either fallen into, or are threatened by, homelessness.’
Simon Poyser, CEO and Founder of Velocity RDT and HAAUUSS said: ‘We wanted to use our skills and technology to provide temporary housing of real quality, giving people a comfortable home where they can find stability and have some space to rebuild their lives, behind their own front doors.
‘We came up with the idea for Pinewood Lodge as a solution to both the under-utilisation of many public buildings and the lack of available, high quality accommodation, and created a collection of advanced, smart, IoT connected buildings within a building.
‘The pods are unique as they incorporate many cutting-edge technological innovations as well as environmentally-friendly features, providing homes that are not only functional but comfortable and make use of the very latest design features to offer the temporary residents a really comfortable quality of life for the duration of their stay.
‘When we commissioned research into homelessness, we were struck by the extent of the problem across the country. We want to continue to make an impact in helping local authorities address the housing crisis, and hope to create many more projects such as this one.’