Carrying on Diana’s legacy: Prince William announces new campaign to end homelessness in the UK

Prince William has announced he will be touring the UK as part of a new campaign to end homelessness.

The 41-year-old Prince of Wales has set his sights on making rough sleeping, sofa surfing and other forms of temporary accommodation a “rare, brief and non-repeated” issue.

With its new Homewards initiative, the royal family has been inspired by Finland, where the problem of homelessness has virtually been eradicated.

The future king has become increasingly passionate about the UK’s homeless issue – after being taken to The Passage charity for the first time by his late mother Princess Diana.

William’s new five-year project will initially focus on six sites and local businesses, organizations and individuals will be encouraged to join forces and develop ‘tailor-made’ action plans to tackle homelessness with funding of up to £500,000.

Announcing his new project, the Prince of Wales said: ‘In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe home, be treated with dignity and be given the support they need.

“Through 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.”

Prince William – who is a patron of Centrepoint and The Passage homelessness organizations – begins his two-day tour of the UK today, which begins in London.

Ahead of the campaign launch, Prince William met footballers David Duke and Tyrone Mings, firefighter Sabrina Cohen-Hatton and TV star Gail Porter – all of whom have been homeless.

He continued: “I am fortunate to have seen firsthand the tireless work of people and organizations across the industry, the tangible impact their efforts can have and what can be done when communities can focus on preventing homelessness instead of controlling it. .

“It is a big task but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, ephemeral and unrepeatable and I very much look forward to working with our six sites to realize our ambition. to make.’

The six chosen areas, including one in London, were selected following a bidding process and the findings and results of the initiative will be used to create models for adoption by other parts of the UK.

According to charity Crisis, which works with Homewards, there are an estimated 300,000 people in the UK who are homeless.

Prince William pictured with Tyrone Mings, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Gail Porter and David Duke – who have experienced homelessness and have pledged to support Homewards

Prince William pictured hugging TV star Gail Porter – who opened up about sleeping on park benches earlier in 2014

Pictured: Princess Diana took sons Prince William and Prince Harry to homeless charity The Passage in the 1990s

The charity’s managing director, Matt Downie, cited a “serious shortage of truly affordable housing”, rising rents, the rising cost of living, years of low wages and precarious employment as some of the factors contributing to this problem.

He said: ‘Homelessness is not inevitable, as a provider of services to thousands of people across Britain every year.

“We know that in most cases it is preventable, and in any case it can be ended.”

“The best way to tackle homelessness is to prevent it in the first place. We’ve seen it in other countries, like Finland, where homelessness is pretty much over, and we’ve seen it when we follow innovative programs that put people in housing first.

“We know that we can do the same here with the right choices and by working together.

“As levels of homelessness continue to rise, innovative programs like Homewards are needed more than ever.”

A new survey commissioned by the Royal Foundation found that one in five of 3,473 adults surveyed in May had some personal experience of homelessness, either directly (9%) or through family (8%) or friends (7%) .

Prince William imagined listening intently to David Duke as he spoke about his experience of homelessness

The survey found that 72% of those surveyed believed homelessness had gotten worse over the past 12 months, while 73% believed that ending homelessness was not getting enough attention from society.

William spoke in his first interview since becoming the Prince of Wales, using it to explain his determination to “make a difference…that doesn’t set people who are homeless up for another fall.”

Stretching from Cornwall to Kent, the 130,000 acre Duchy of Cornwall includes estates in Newquay and Dorchester that consist of a mix of private and some affordable housing.

When asked by the Sunday Times if there are any plans for affordable housing on Duchy land, William replied: ‘Absolutely. Public housing. You’ll see that when it’s done. I’m not a policy expert, but I push it where I can.’

Described by the paper as a ‘curveball’ that aides weren’t expecting, William indicated he will ‘start small’ with the housing and if the plan performs well he will look to increase the amount available.

William said, “It’s all right to make grand gestures, but it’s no use if… there’s no future in it.”

In March 2021, Gail Porter opened up about her experience of homelessness after being left out of work when she refused to wear a wig to hide her alopecia.