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Pod homes with £5-a-week running costs are being built for London's homeless

The project looks to provide a better solution than temporary accommodation

Chiara Wilkinson
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Chiara Wilkinson
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There’s a new scheme on the way to provide sustainable and cost-effective housing for London’s homeless population. 

The Salvation Army, Citizens UK and housing developer Hill Group are teaming up to build up to 200 ‘pod’ homes on small pockets of land across the city over the next five years. Each single-person unit will be fully furnished with kitchen and bathroom facilities and according to the developers, they’re super energy efficient – costing only a fiver per week in running costs. The 200 pods will apparently cost less than £47,000 to build.

The project follows the success of 60 pod homes built in Ilford, east London, which were all funded by a donation drive inspired by 10-year-old boy Malachi Justin who gave his tooth fairy cash to homeless charities. 

We don’t know where the new pods will be built just yet, but councils and landowners have been asked to find suitable spots for them and the groups are looking to get the Ministry of Housing on board to back the project. 

According to data released in April from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain), more than 3,000 people were recorded sleeping rough in London during the third lockdown between January and March this year.

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