The Hill Group handed over eight Solohaus modular homes for the homeless to Dacorum Borough Council, intended as follow-on accommodation for people in the local area
Eight Solohaus modular homes for the homeless, developed as follow-on accommodation for people who have previously experienced homelessness in the local area, have been handed over by the Hill Group to Dacorum Borough Council.
Dacorum Borough Council is the first council in Hertfordshire to use these purpose-built modular homes at Hampton Close in Hemel Hempstead to provide much-needed safe and secure move-on accommodation.
One of the turnkey homes has been gifted by Hill, with the other seven funded by the council and a Government grant. Dacorum Borough Council also received support from BPM Project Management Ltd and Arcus Consulting on the project.
Solohaus fulfils Hill’s Foundation 200 pledge and social value commitments
SoloHaus was developed as the housing solution to Hill’s Foundation 200, a £15m pledge to design, manufacture and donate 200 modular homes to local authorities and charities working in homelessness by 2025.
SoloHaus units are manufactured in the West Midlands by Hill Group’s manufacturing partner Volumetric Modular prior to being delivered and installed on site.
So far around 150 SoloHaus homes have been handed over to local authorities in the fight against homelessness. The homes are specially designed, fully furnished and equipped for a single person to move straight into.
Each modular home is built to last for at least 60 years and is highly energy efficient. They are designed to Future Homes Standards, which exceed current building regulations for energy efficiency and sound insulation.
Andy Hill, group chief executive at The Hill Group, said: “We are pleased to be working with Dacorum Borough Council to supply the first purpose-built modular homes in Hemel Hempstead. We designed SoloHaus to aid vulnerable individuals with nowhere to call home and I am confident that this scheme will have an incredibly positive impact on many Dacorum residents, helping them to turn their lives around.”
The residents and homes will be supported by DENS, the homeless charity for people in Dacorum
Management of the homes will be undertaken through a partnership arrangement led by the Council with DENS, a local charity with a proven track record of supporting Dacorum residents to realise their aspirations for housing, skills development, employment and education.
Wendy Lewington, CEO at DENS said: “These smart, modular homes will enable us to support even more people facing homelessness in Dacorum. DENS staff will be providing tailored advice and training to the residents so they can develop the skills, confidence and resilience to help rebuild their lives and take the next step into independent living”.
