Prince William has acknowledged the “complex and unpredictable” challenge that still lies ahead for those helping him tackle homelessness, two years since he launched his ambitious Homewards project.
In a letter to the local coalition groups that were formed in six locations across the UK, the Prince of Wales thanked them for joining his mission to “demonstrate that it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated”.
Signing off with the message “Keep going!” William explains how he believes the initiative has already started to “shift the dial” on the “mammoth challenge”.
“There are now people who are no longer experiencing homelessness thanks to your tremendous efforts,” he wrote.
Since the five-year programme was launched in 2023, more than 100 initiatives have started across six locations around the UK, and some 300 homes – a mixture of empty accommodation, private rentals and new builds – are forecast to be delivered through Homewards’ Innovative Housing Projects.
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In February, William unveiled a new partnership with high street bank Lloyds Banking Group, which has made £50m available to organisations tackling homelessness. Nearly £3m has also been secured for Homewards locations from partners and coalition members.
In his letter marking this anniversary, he wrote: “After a year of convening, our second year has seen Homewards shift into delivery mode.”
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But acknowledging the difficult task ahead, he added: “Creating long-term change is complex and unpredictable, but I am confident we can lead and inspire understanding, empathy and optimism that homelessness can be ended.”
The six locations where the programme is working are Newport in South Wales, Lambeth in south London, Northern Ireland, Aberdeen, Sheffield and the three neighbouring Dorset towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch.
Each ‘local coalition group’ has been working to identify solutions to specific groups at risk of homelessness in their area, such as single people and under-25s in Aberdeen, lone parents in temporary accommodation in Lambeth and families and women facing multiple disadvantages in Newport.
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Liz Laurence, Homewards’ programme director, said: “We’re proud to say, as we head into our third year, that Homewards is the broadest collective effort working to prevent homelessness across the UK.”
She added: “We set out with a mission to demonstrate that together it’s possible to end homelessness, and I think we are really confident about where we are. We are starting really to see a difference on the ground.”
The campaign is a major long-term focus for William, who – as a child – visited shelters with his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and was left with a deep and lasting impression that has inspired his work.
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Polly Neate, former chief executive of Shelter and now an independent social policy commentator, said: “In our wider culture, as a country, we see homelessness as something that is inevitable, that we don’t really understand, that we feel powerless about doing anything about.
“What Prince William and Homewards are doing, if you want to put it in a nutshell, is tackling that culture straight on and saying ‘This is not inevitable. This is preventable’.”
