As the cost of temporary accommodation soars across the county, 23 new pods for homeless people are being stacked into place in Ashford.
They are designed to be an energy-efficient alternative to building new homes, but is the scheme on a flood-hit car park something that could be expanded to other parts of Kent? Liane Castle reports.
The new homeless pods are being installed close to the entrance of Henwood Industrial Estate
“Living in the car was not a good time for us, one of these pods would have been better than the street.”
Friday Quick’s assessment of Ashford Borough Council’s project on Henwood Industrial Estate – the first of its kind in the county – would surely be echoed by others facing a similar situation.
She and her partner Richard Warrior, from Chatham, were made homeless in 2022 after being served a Section 21 – a so-called no-fault eviction notice which allows landlords to evict a tenant without giving a reason.
Having spent three weeks living in their car, the couple say they would have loved to have been offered a pod in their time of need.
“I think more councils should do things like this,” says Ms Quick, 51.
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Courtesy of Kent Online
