The homes were delivered to the Joy’s Corner site on Baldock Way, off Hills Avenue, in October 2024. Since then, partners have been working to make the homes ready to move into – connecting them to services and equipping them for the first residents, as well as installing external fittings such as verandas and fences, and landscaping the site with trees, lawns and plants.
With some final touches remaining, the main works were completed ahead of an open day where the partners involved were able to celebrate the milestone together with surrounding neighbours, ahead of the first residents moving in before Christmas.
Multiple partners have contributed to this project coming to fruition:
- It Takes a City Community Land Trust (ITAC CLT) has led on the project, and is a Cambridge-based partnership tackling homelessness by creating practical solutions, including modular homes. ITAC CLT has been pursuing ways to increase the supply of homes for the homeless, using private sector finance and social investment, and was inspired to lead and fundraise for this project by a similar Allia-led project which saw modular homes installed at the Church of Christ the Redeemer on Newmarket Road.
- It Takes a City (ITAC) will provide ongoing support for residents at Joy's Corner, and already runs three key Cambridge homeless services: Crossways winter accommodation, the Haven women’s centre, and Survive and Thrive housing sustainability support.
- Cambridge City Council offered the use of its land at Joy’s Corner on a token lease, in support of the project. Many council teams have provided additional support for the project as well, including inputs from the development team on planning applications, and ongoing involvement from the housing advice and homelessness team on tenancy agreements.
- The four modular, timber-framed homes are highly energy-efficient, low-carbon, and designed for long-lasting quality, and have been built off-site using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) by Waterbeach-based construction and education charity, New Meaning Foundation. NMF builds affordable, modern and sustainable ‘SPACE Micro-homes’ for people who have experienced homelessness, with its mission being to empower individuals who have experienced hardship, such as homelessness, through practical training and real-world work opportunities.
- Credit is due to many other partners for their contributions, many of which have been pro-bono, including Archangel; Bidwells; Breheny; Carter Jonas; CB3 Consulting Ltd; Ligna; MKA; Munro Building Services Ltd; Stantec; and Welch Group.
- St John’s Church also hosted community engagement sessions and provided refreshments for the open day on Friday.
Cllr Gerri Bird, Cambridge City Council’s Executive Councillor for Housing, said: “It has been fantastic to see so many local partners driving forward such a positive piece of work – from ITAC’s vision and determination, to New Meaning Foundation’s approach to building these modular homes especially for people moving away from homelessness, and all the other partners who have supported the project throughout. There is such positive, collaborative work happening in Cambridge, across private, public and charitable sector organisations, to come up with innovative solutions like this that will have a real impact on people’s lives. It was my pleasure to attend the celebratory open day with the other partners involved and to say a few words.
“These homes will provide people with something invaluable that many of us take for granted: a safe space to sleep and call their own, among a supportive local community. Not only that, but having a fixed address is such an important part of enabling moving away from homelessness, as it opens up access to a much wider range of opportunities.”
Chris Jenkin BEM, Founder and Chair of It Takes a City, said: “We are really proud to have led such an amazing team of partners to deliver this innovative project, making great use of a very small site. Our thanks to them all, and to our donors and investors who made it possible. This is a small part of a much larger effort to work together to end homelessness and rough sleeping in Cambridge. We look forward to our residents being welcomed into the community with a sure sense they have somewhere they can call home. Plans are now being laid for further schemes in and around Cambridge, and we encourage anyone that is keen to help to get in contact!”
John Evans, New Meaning Foundation’s CEO, said: “Despite our SPACE Microhomes© being easily transported, and ideal for temporary use on ‘meanwhile land’ projects like this, they are also incredibly durable, with each home having a minimum life of 60 years. With our construction and education programme we have built 20 of these homes to date, providing much-needed shelter and stability for homeless individuals across Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, as well as pathways to resilience and brighter futures for our construction trainee beneficiaries. This project is a perfect fit for our ethos, and demonstrates the power of community-based collaboration and innovative funding to address housing challenges.”
The council has been involved with three similar projects, which were led by Jimmy’s; and a number of local partners are keen to identify additional sites in Cambridge where this model could be replicated further – watch this space.
