THESE tiny housing pods have been installed in a Exeter car park and come kitted out with a bed, toilet, and a charging port.
The mini one-person houses will provide a temporary “crash-pad” for those who need it most in the city.
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The four new housing pods installed in Howell Road Car Park are designed to help rough sleepers in Exeter, providing them with a temporary safe place to stay in the city.
The council hopes the tiny, self-contained homes will be a “stepping stone” to get rough sleepers into more permanent accommodation.
Each small pod has solar-powered lighting, key-less entry and offer basic amenities, including a bed, toilet and a USB charging point.
“The pods offer verified rough sleepers a chance to lay their heads away from the frenetic lifestyle of living on the streets,” says Exeter City Council.
This isn’t the first time a tiny home project like this has gone ahead in the city, as last summer two other pods were set up near St David’s Hill.
It helped to get 15 homeless people off the streets and into more permanent accommodation after an average stay of one month in the pods.
Daily welfare checks in the pods will be carried out by Julian House – an organisation that looks after vulnerable or at-risk people, including rough sleepers and homeless.
A security guard from Patronus Security will also visit the site each night at a random time.
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Martin Pearce, Lead Councillor for Communities and Homelessness Prevention, said that individuals were referred to the pods by the Rough Sleeping Prevention Team managed by Julian House.
“They are being used by individuals with no alternative accommodation option available at the time, but ideally with a pathway opening up.
“We would also consider clients who may be at risk of losing their placement within our services, perhaps where some time out may be helpful in the short term.
“The flexibility of a pod can also mean that in an emergency we can offer a safe place for a situation that our out-of-hours provision could use as an alternative option.”
