A dozen rough sleepers will be safe from the cold and danger of living on the streets this Christmas thanks to a joint housing initiative.

They will live in 12 custom-built modular housing units on a 901 sq metre site at Mount Pleasant overflow car park in Weymouth.

Each has its own front door with a bedroom and ensuite facilities, a communal kitchen and a separate learning/games area.

Registered charity The Bus Shelter Dorset and Dorset Council have teamed up for the initiative with support from the community including  the Wates Foundation.

The project opened the doors to its first temporary residents in September.

The transitional housing has been made possible through a successful bid for £188,000 from the government’s Next Steps to Accommodation Programme.

It builds on the ‘Everyone In’ initiative which took people off the streets and gave them temporary accommodation to protect them during the height of the pandemic.

The main infrastructure is now complete and the first guests are receiving support to help them access the appropriate services to rebuild their lives.

Dorset Council and The Bus Shelter Dorset have thanked the many businesses and individuals who have made the project possible.

Emily McCarron, pictured left, Co-Founder and CEO, The Bus Shelter Dorset, said: “We are so very grateful to everyone who has supported this project.

“Special thanks must go to Newspace Containers Ltd.

“They worked tirelessly to design and deliver these high quality units to us in August.

“Local businesses, individuals and volunteers from Dorset Highways have generously given their time, energy and goods to install and connect the units to the mains services.

“There are too many to mention, but our Facebook page has a full list of the people we’d like to thank, more information on the scheme and a link to our Just Giving page.

“Thank you to all of them, from the bottom of our hearts.”

The site at Mount Pleasant overflow car park was granted planning permission for seven years in February.

It is managed by the charity with experienced and specialist support staff onsite 24/7.

Dorset Council is leasing part of the park and ride land to the charity at very low rates and designed and installed sanitation, new roads and access routes.

The council oversaw the work to link in the required sanitation and utility services to the existing park and ride facilities.

The council also fund two support workers through its Rough Sleeper Initiative.

Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, pictured left, Dorset Council’s Portfolio holder for Housing & Community Safety, said: “We are thrilled to work in partnership with The Bus Shelter Dorset.

“This scheme gives people the opportunity to have a safe, warm and dry place to call home, whilst the agencies work together to find longer term solutions to enable them to get back on their feet.”

“This year, the council set out its five-year plan to tackle all forms of homelessness in Dorset and prevent it from happening.

“While we have done a great job in enabling people to sleep more soundly at night, we still have a small number of rough sleepers in the Dorset Council area whom we want to help.

“We’re doing everything we can to support rough sleepers.

“Providing an environment which can empower them to make positive life choices is a step in the right direction.

“Some people have already moved on to permanent accommodation, with assistance from support workers.

“This has been a project which has involved the input from many departments in the council, who have worked very hard to bring it together and we’re grateful to all involved.”

Emily added: “Homelessness can be around the corner for any of us, rich or poor, and especially, during the hardships the pandemic has brought to people’s lives.

“Loss of jobs, loved ones and relationships can rapidly spiral into anyone losing their home.

“Our charity started with a double decker bus offering shelter to rough sleepers.

“Now we can offer safe accommodation and a vital lifeline with access to specialist services and ultimately, a step up into accommodation and employment.”

• thebusshelterdorset@gmail.com