The location of Dundee’s recovery village has been revealed ahead of plans being submitted to the council.
In November 2023, The Courier revealed that a “world-leading” recovery village aimed at breaking the cycle of addiction was planned for the city.
The project was announced by homeless charity Social Bite – who said it would focus on supporting people who can’t afford to pay for private residential rehabilitation services.
It followed a similar project set up by the charity in Edinburgh, which aims to help homeless people in the city move into permanent accommodation.
The Dundee village was initially estimated to cost around £1.9m but this has since risen to £2.3m.
Mill o’ Mains site chosen
It has now been confirmed that the former bowling green in Mill o’ Mains is the site chosen for the Dundee recovery village.
It will have 10 single-occupancy modern “nest houses” and a 10-bed shared accommodation facility.
There will also be a community hub for peer and staff support, wellbeing activities and family time.
Social Bite will commission a local charity to provide a highly skilled and experienced staff team.
Dundee residents will have priority for places in the village.
To live there, residents must be stable in their recovery journey and show they want to make positive changes, like starting education or finding a job.
In the coming weeks, drop-in sessions and engagement events will be held in the Mill o’ Mains area.
This will allow residents the chance to learn more about the village and give feedback.
The first will be at the Finmill Centre on July 10 at 9am, and July 16 at 1pm
Josh Littlejohn MBE, founder of Social Bite, said: “It is fantastic to be able to share more details of what will be an incredible facility for Dundee.
“We know that there is a big problem with drug deaths in Scotland and Dundee. The impact on families and individuals can be devastating.
“Our aim is to build a facility that will help people who have begun their journey towards recovery by giving them a supportive and safe place to live with expert support.”
‘A fantastic addition to Dundee’
The Dundee recovery village will be funded, in part, through a £1.5million pledge from the WM Sword Charitable Trust.
And it will be named after the benefactor of the trust, the late Bill Sword, who was a well-known entrepreneur in Dundee.
Insights Foundation is also backing the project with £100,000 of additional support.
Lynne Henderson, trustee of the WM Sword Charitable Trust, said: “This is a project that we believe will be a fantastic addition to Dundee.
“There is a real need for the work unfortunately, but we think the proposals will deliver the best possible care for people in recovery.”
Conversation