Prince William’s ambitious £3 million fight to end the misery of homelessness

Prince William today launches an ambitious £3 million program to end homelessness within five years.

The future king is personally funding, through the charitable arm of his Royal Foundation, six projects in flagship locations across the UK.

They bring together local stakeholders, experts and even home builders to eradicate rough sleeping, ‘sofa surfing’ and temporary hostels and bring about substantive change.

As a member of the royal family, William acknowledges that his critics may wonder why someone from such a privileged background thinks they can solve such a widespread problem.

Figures suggest that more than 300,000 people – nearly half of whom are children – are homeless, whether they live on the street, in cars or in hostels and other types of temporary accommodation.

As a member of the royal family, William acknowledges that his critics may wonder why someone from such a privileged background thinks they can solve such a widespread problem.

The program, led by his Royal Foundation, will be called ‘Homewards’. Pictured: Prince William greets television personality Gail Porter

Pictured: Prince William meets Aston Villa star Tyrone Mings

William was introduced to homelessness at the age of 11 by his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, during a secret visit to a homeless shelter run by The Passage, of which he is now a patron.

Since then he has been involved with several organizations working in the field, including Centrepoint and The Big Issue. Now the 41-year-old heir to the throne believes he can use his unique convocational power as a member of the royal family to bring together coalitions of individuals, organizations and businesses to work together based on specific local needs.

The program, led by his Royal Foundation, will be called ‘Homewards’.

Launching the initiative today, hoping to upend conventional thinking on the issue, the prince will say: ‘In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe home, be treated with dignity and be given the support they need. . With Homewards, I want to make this a reality and, over the next five years, give people across the UK hope that homelessness can be prevented if we work together.

“It’s a tall order, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, ephemeral and unrepeatable.”

William will reveal the six locations over the next two days while touring the UK.

Sources say he feels inspired by his mother who would celebrate her 62nd birthday this week. “She’s very much on his mind as he gets into this,” a source said. “This isn’t just his legacy, it’s his mother’s legacy. This means so much to him and meant so much to his mother.

“He is committed to changing the way we as a nation think about homelessness. The Prince is really the heart and soul of [the programme].’

William has since been involved with several organizations working in the field, including Centrepoint and The Big Issue. Pictured: opening of the Centrepoint helpline in 2017

Diana, Princess of Wales visiting homeless charity The Passage with her sons, (then) Prince Harry (2nd left) and Prince William (2nd right) in the early 1990s

William was introduced to homelessness at the age of 11 by his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, during a secret visit to a homeless shelter run by The Passage, of which he is now a patron. Pictured: Diana speaking at the 1995 Centrepoint Conference for the Homeless

Prince William and Centrepoint CEO Seyi Obakin prepare for a freezing night in 2009

Figures suggest more than 300,000 people, nearly half of whom are children, are homeless

While there is no public acknowledgment of his father, sources say the King wants Homewards to serve as William’s legacy, in the same way as The Prince’s Trust, which helps young people between the ages of 11 and 30 find jobs, education and training, that did for King Charles.

A source close to the prince told the Mail that William refused to be swerved from his course by critics who would “doubtless complain” that the royal family should use their own huge property portfolio for the public good.

Matt Downie, CEO of Crisis, the homelessness charity, said: ‘Homelessness is devastating, dangerous and isolating. The factors that drive people to do so are complex.

“Years of low wages and precarious work have offered people little protection against sudden economic shocks and the social security system is unable to adequately support them when they need help.”

At each of the six locations, Homewards will support local partners in forming coalitions of individuals, organizations and businesses that will work together to create a tailored plan to prevent homelessness in their area based on local needs and expertise .