Prince of Wales wants project to end homelessness ‘to move to the mainstream’

The Prince of Wales said he wants his ambitious project to end homelessness to move from a niche endeavour to the mainstream as he unveiled a new partnership with a High Street bank.

William’s Homewards initiative is attempting to develop a blueprint to make homelessness “rare, brief and unrepeated” – and has now joined forces with Lloyds Banking Group, which has made £50 million available to organisations tackling the issue.

Small and medium-sized housing providers and charities working in the six locations Homewards is targeting, and who struggle to secure financial support from lenders, will have access to the funds.

The prince visited an 11-bed housing scheme in Poole for people with mental health issues, run by Bournemouth Churches Housing Association (BCHA), to mark the tie-up with Lloyds Banking Group – and was joined by the lender’s chief executive officer Charlie Nunn.

During a discussion with Mr Nunn and representatives from BCHA and the local authority, the prince said: “We really want to move Homewards from being a niche thing – people have started to live with homelessness for a long time and it’s become a niche thing – try and make it more mainstream. so people understand it and they get it.

“Everyone cares about people being looked after and not living on the streets – so how do we make this more of a national thing and I’m hoping that’s part of the narrative of the five years.”

William went on to visit Bournemouth and Poole College to see how Homewards BCP has worked with local organisations such as Sunseeker International and Faithworks to create employment programmes for people at risk or experiencing homelessness.

The course participants are able to interview for the Sunseeker Boat Building Programme, which is taught across Bournemouth and Poole College’s Sunseeker Skills Academy, and at the Sunseeker Shipyard.

The prince was shown how to cut a section of pipe to go in the freshwater engine of the boat.

William said as he started: “Its a bit more complicated than Lego.”

He then said: “I hope someone checks it before it goes in the boat, don’t want it sinking on us.”

And he added: “Have I passed then? Phew, thank goodness for that.”

The students follow a 12-week paid training programme before then being able to develop their skills at the Sunseeker Shipyard, working towards a nationally recognised qualification and permanent employment opportunities.

Bournemouth and Poole College also runs similar training programmes for site-work, warehousing, barista training and other industries.

William launched his five-year Homewards project to end homelessness in 2023 working in six areas – Newport, Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen and Sheffield and three neighbouring Dorset towns – Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch – with charities, housing associations, local authorities, the private sector and others.

During his chat with Mr Nunn and the senior managers, William said the public sector struggled with “humanising” the issue of homelessness adding “I hope, that’s what Homewards can do, we’re trying to do that…(with the) human stories.

“Because there are so many stats and figures, numbers everywhere. I’m not a numbers guy anyway, I don’t like maths… it doesn’t bring it alive.

“Whereas you go and meet these people and you feel it and see it and you can understand it. I challenge anyone not to feel that they’ve got to do something.”

During his visit to the BCHA accommodation called Millennium House, William made a private visit to one of the client’s ensuite rooms and chatted to others who are supported by staff.

One client Chloe, only identified by her first name, told the prince: “It’s massively helpful having someone on your side, almost like a cheerleader in your recovery,” and William agreed “just having somebody in your corner backing you”.

Before leaving the prince joined a group of clients planting vegetable seeds in troughs and he happily planted broccoli seeds, describing gardening as “therapeutic”.

Later the prince visited Bournemouth and Poole College to meet participants in the Homewards project in the area providing training for those at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

He hugged student Natasha Gorry, 24, from Wimborne, Dorset, after she asked for a hug from William and they were cheered and applauded by other students.

Afterwards she said: “He gave me a hug, I love it, (I’m) excited, it’s my first time. He’s an amazing guy.”