英国推出移动住宅供流浪者居住

Britain’s first ever micro-home designed to provide temporary* accommodation for the homeless has been craned into a back garden.

Measuring 17.25 sqm, the space will be used to put a roof over the head of a homeless person in what is believed to be the first project of its kind in the world. The one-person iKozie drew inspiration from yacht interiors and first-class airline cabins.

It boasts a bedroom, a fully-furnished kitchen, bathroom module and an entertainment zone, all held into place by a steel frame with a front cladding made of larch wood with a green, corrugated* iron roof.

The eight-ton home was lifted over a two-storey house in Barbourne, Worcester, by a huge crane and installed in the back garden. The new unit complies fully with all planning requirements and building regulations, and has an A rating for energy efficiency.

The first person will be able to move into the home as soon as next month, following a referral from homeless agencies in the city. Tenants* will have to take the responsibility for paying for rent, water bills and food in a bid to teach them how to survive independently.

The ambitious project has been run by the Homeless Foundation, and the property itself will be managed by the Spring Housing Association.

If the pilot is successful, iKozie’s could be installed across the rest of Britain and the charity believes it could be the solution to the country’s homelessness problem.

Kieran O’Donnell, a trustee of the Homeless Foundation charity, said: “This is a future answer to homelessness. This is something pretty unique, the first of its kind in the world. They’re smaller than your average home, but the idea is that because they’re small they’re cheaper to build and easier to transport.”

(SD-Agencies)