A new village has opened to provide stable accommodation to homeless people as part of a campaign to eradicate homelessness in Scotland.

Social Bite Village launched this week in Granton, Edinburgh to provide a place to live and support for up to 20 people.

The project is made up of ten two-bed huts with a central hub where residents can socialise.

Social Bite co-founder Josh Littlejohn said: "It feels amazing to see it come to life like this, it's been a lot of hard work from the build team.

"To see the whole thing come together, it's really humbling.

"It's a really beautiful, safe environment so hopefully it's going help lots of people."

Transportable huts

The transportable NestHouses were designed by Jonathan Avery of Tiny House Scotland, comprising of a kitchen living area, bathroom, two bedrooms and shrubbery outside.

They are built on a 1.5-acre site of vacant council land which has been given to Social Bite on a "meanwhile use" basis, meaning it can be used until the land needs to be developed.

The prefabricated houses should last for up to 100 years.

Six residents will move in to the village in June, but it is hoped this will build up to around 20 over the coming months.

No one with ongoing addiction issues will be allowed to take part in the project.

Tenancies are expected to last between a year and 18 months, which mirrors the typical duration homeless people spend living in accommodation such as hostels or bed and breakfasts in Scotland.

A 'positive trajectory'

Mr Littlejohn added: "The idea is it's a transitional environment, so every 12 months or so we hope to welcome 20 new people through the village and ultimately go on to mainstream tenancies.

"If they're in a B&B or a hostel they're completely unsupported, completely marginalised and sent on a negative trajectory.

"We want to try and take people in for the same amount of time, but put them on a very positive trajectory."

Rent is largely expected to be paid through housing benefit, but once a stable income is established this will be used to pay for lodgings.

Social Bite is working with charity Cyrenians to help people move into the new village and provide onsite support for those living there.

Connections have also been built with a local college to provide residents with education, while a number of employers have pledged job opportunities.

Social Bite began as a sandwich shop in 2012 employing and feeding homeless people.

It has attracted attention from actors such as George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

There are 11,000 homeless households in Scotland, according to government figures, and the number has been rising steadily since 2015.

The charity Shelter says as "a conservative estimate" 307,000 people are homeless in Britain.