Inside 'tiny homes' kitted out with bed, toilet and a USB charging point

04 July 2023 , 10:05

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Inside 'tiny homes' kitted out with bed, toilet and a USB charging point

A UK city has installed tiny pod homes in a car park that come fully killed out with a bed, toilet and a USB charging port.

Designed to help rough sleepers, the mini homes are built for one person as a temporary 'crash pad' for those most in need in Exeter.

The four new pods have been built in Howell Road Car Park, with the council hoping the self-contained units will be a 'stepping stone' to get homeless people a more permanent place to live.

The pods themselves have solar-powered lighting, keyless entry and include a bed, toilet and 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.

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The pods have solar-powered lighting, keyless entry and include a bed, toilet and charging point (ECC/BPM Media)

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.

Last summer, the council got 15 people off the streets and into more permanent accommodation through another block of pods near St David's Hill.

The temporary tenants stayed an average of a month before they found somewhere else to stay.

The pods come with a bed and toilet (Amazing Grace Spaces)

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.

Lighting is solar powered and there are USB ports (Amazing Grace Spaces)

"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."

Hannah Kane