Beginning in 2019, Cambridge University worked with a homeless charity in order to investigate effectiveness of housing a group of homeless individuals. Using a piece of land leased by a church in Cambridge, together they provided six individuals with village style housing. The self-contained box-shaped homes are a total of 25 square meters, complete with a tiny kitchen, bathroom and front porch. Each of the six units cost £36,000, approximately $38,000 USD, and can be quickly assembled like a giant lego.
Mini ‘Mod’ Housing
Over a twelve month period, researchers found that the pilot project reduced drug and alcohol misuse and dramatically boosted physical and mental health. This ultimately led to improved financial management, new or increased work or training, and renewed relationships with family members. After one year, five out of the six individuals were ready to and financially secure to move onto social housing once their tenancy was concluded; the only one who was not ready left the housing project after six months. Since the start of the project, the original six mini ‘mod’ houses that were built has since been expanded to sixteen homes to combat homelessness in Cambridge, U.K
Through this report conducted by the Cambridge University, it can be clear to see how this form of innovative housing can not only temporarily aid homelessness, both efficiently and cost effectively, but serve as a form of rehabilitating homeless individuals back into the workforce and daily life of society. The experience of the six residents can reflect that provision of secure, self-contained housing alongside the provision of dedicated support can help to significantly improve the quality of life for people who have experienced homelessness. Although it is not a long term, and large scale, solution to the global homeless crisis, it can be seen as effective in a number of ways; but most importantly something as simple as a front door and personal space can make an individual feel more in control of their life.
https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/modhomes
https://www.cchpr.landecon.cam.ac.uk/file/cambridgemodularhomesresidentexperiences1021pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment