Dacorum Borough Council becomes first in county to use purpose-built homes to tackle homelessness

New homes have been handed over to Dacorum Borough Council in a bid to help the homeless.

House builder The Hill Group handed over the keys for eight SoloHaus to the council on Tuesday (August 16).

The residents and new modular homes at Hampton Close in Hemel Hempstead will be supported by DENS.

Cllr Alan Anderson, Dacorum Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Place, said: "Having a safe, comfortable, independent space is vital to helping those who have experienced homelessness to rebuild their lives and make the transition into more stable accommodation.”

He added: “These SoloHaus units provide us with a complete solution to supporting people who find themselves in this position and will make a real difference in our efforts to tackle homelessness in the borough.”

Rory Lowing, SoloHaus Project Manager of The Hill Group joined Cllr Alan Anderson from Dacorum Borough Council and Wendy Lewington from DENS charity for the official handover of the homes.

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.

Management of the homes will done by a partnership between the Council and DENS. The charity has a 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.”

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.”