Housing the homeless in time for Christmas: Shipping containers open as temporary accommodation after being converted into studio flats

A block of flats made out of shipping containers has been officially opened in a bid to tackle a city’s housing crisis. Brighton Housing Trust is using the 36 adapted containers to provide temporary accommodation for homeless people in the city. The containers have been transformed into self-contained studio flats, and feature bathrooms, kitchens and plasterboard walls. The housing trust and developer QED Property Ltd submitted the plans for the scheme to help solve the ‘acute shortage of affordable accommodation’ in the city. High property prices averaging around £302,000, steep private rents and low average wages in the seaside city have contributed to high levels of homelessness.

Following the scheme’s official opening last week, Andy Winter, chief executive of Brighton Housing Trust, said: ‘There is an acute shortage of affordable accommodation in Brighton and Hove.  ‘The number of street homeless people in the city has increased from 37 in November 2011 to 43 in 2012 and 50 in November 2013. However, there is a wide consensus that the actual figure is more likely to be between 70 and 100. This development makes a small contribution to tackling the ever-increasing need for housing.’

The structures were designed for a social housing project in Amsterdam two years ago but the scheme had to be abandoned after hitting funding difficulties. Ross Gilbert, from developers QED Property, said last week: ‘Today is the high point of this exciting and innovative housing project as the 36 residents move into their new homes. Our temporary use of a car park at a former scrap metal yard demonstrates just what can be done in six weeks to help solve the acute housing shortage.’

Retailer Homebase, which has used shipping containers in its adverts, has provided starter packs for the 36 residents. The packs include beds, wardrobes, chests of drawers, bedside cabinets and kitchen and other household equipment. Graham Heald, Homebase retail and distribution director, said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting this creative initiative, which is supporting the local community with short-term, affordable accommodation. Although this isn’t a long term solution for homelessness, we believe that everyone deserves to live in a home they love, and so we’re providing starter packs to each tenant which enables them to do just that.’

source: www.dailymail.com

shipping container – konténer
to tackle – megbirkózni valamivel
temporary – ideiglenes
homeless – hajléktalan
studio flat – garzonlakás
plasterboard – gipszkarton
to submit – beadni, benyújtani
shortage – hiány
property – ingatlan (általánosságban tulajdon)
average wages – átlagfizetés
affordable accommodation – megfizethető szállás
to increase – növekedni, emelni
actual figure – tényleges szám
contribution – hozzájárulás
to abandon – elhagyni, abbahagyni
funding difficulties – finanszírozási nehézségek
resident – lakos
scrap metal yard – ócskavas telep
retailer – kiskereskedő
to provide – biztosítani
equipment – felszerelés
to be delighted – nagyon örvendeni valaminek
long term solution – hosszútávú megoldás
to deserve something – megérdemelni valamit
to enable somebody to – képessé tenni valakit valamire

Vocabulary building: nouns and verbs

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