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Sleeping pods for homeless 'very successful'

Sarah-May BuccieriSkegness
News imageBBC A man smiles has he stands in front of three small shed-like sleeping pods. He has grey hair and is wearing a blue coat and glasses. The pods are dark grey with light-brown wood-effect doors, a white-framed window and a logo reading Amazing Grace Spaces. BBC
Councillor William Gray says the pods are "cost effective and practical"

Sleeping "pods" for homeless people have been a success since opening in Skegness, a senior councillor has said.

The self-contained units, which are designed to offer emergency accommodation for people sleeping rough, were installed in the seaside town in December last year.

They include a bed, toilet, light and USB charging point.

Councillor William Gray, portfolio holder for communities at East Lindsey District Council, said it gave people "dignity" and "their own space", and was part of the authority's "wider work to combat homelessness".

News imageStuart Johnson The interior of a sleeping pod. It is a small space with bare grey walls and a window. There is a white toilet covered with plastic, a soap dispenser and a bed with a purple mattress.Stuart Johnson
Inside one of the new emergency accommodation pods

According to the council the four pods cost £70,000 to purchase and install, with annual maintenance expected to cost £10,000 per year.

Gray, 61, said the pods had been "very successful" and given people "a safe, dry place to live temporarily".

At least one person had used them every day, the council added.

According to Gray, more pods could be rolled out across the district if the pilot project continued to be successful.

"But what we want to do is eradicate homelessness," he said. "We don't want people to be on our streets."

News imageA man with short grey hair, swept back, and a neat short beard and moustache. He is wearing a brown jacket and an orange jumper. He is standing in front of a grey emergency accommodation pod with a wooden door.
Stuart Johnson, of the charity Amazing Grace Spaces, says the pods offer a safe place for people to sleep in

Gray said the authority had lots of measures in place to help and people should contact them if they needed support.

In a report to councillors, figures showed a total of 167 people were verified as sleeping rough within the district during 2023-24, with 152 in the first nine months of 2024-25.

The pods were designed by Amazing Grace Spaces, a charity based in Newport, South Wales.

Stuart Johnson, 65, from the charity, said it was crucial for homeless people to have a secure place to sleep in overnight as they were often targeted and attacked when outdoors.

"They can get food, they can get clothes from lots of different charities, but having a safe roof over their head is most important," he added.

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