Prince William has started his 48-hour tour of the UK to launch a project to end homelessness.
His initiative, called Homewards, wants to make “restless sleeping, sofa surfing and other forms of temporary housing a thing of the past”. The focus is on six locations – one of them in London.
The 41-year-old Prince of Wales made his first stop at that first location this morning, visiting the Mosaic Clubhouse in Lambeth, south London, which supports people in the district who are suffering from mental illness.
His visit to the center was about how to break the link between mental illness and subsequent existence on the streets.
During the engagement, the king spoke to members of the clubhouse, who shared their experiences of homelessness and how the center has helped them.
Prince William is photographed visiting the Mosaic clubhouse in London today, at the start of his two-day UK tour which is launching his homelessness campaign
During today’s visit to the Mosaic Clubhouse (pictured), Prince William spoke to members of the organization about their experiences
The king also gave a short speech during the visit, in which he described how his mother took him to visit a homeless shelter when he was 11 years old
Among those he spoke to was big issue salesman Dave Martin. Last summer, the Prince joined Dave in selling copies of the magazine.
And he met with representatives from the Old Spike Roastery — a specialty coffee social enterprise that provides employment opportunities for the homeless.
The king also gave a short speech during his visit, in which he said he was delighted to be at the Mosaic clubhouse and described how “inspiring” it had been to hear about the “vital” work of the organization that they’ve done to break the link between mental health problems and homelessness.
During his speech, William also discussed the impact of visiting homeless shelters with his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
When he was still a schoolboy, she took him to The Passage for the first time.
He said, “My first visit to a homeless shelter was when I was 11 with my mother.” The visits left a deep and lasting impression.
“I’ve met so many extraordinary people and heard so many heartbreaking personal stories.” Too many people are left without stable and permanent homes.
“Through these visits I have seen firsthand the scale and complexity of homelessness. A personal thank you to people like Dave Wilson who is here today and gave me an introduction to selling The Big Issue last summer.”
The King sat down with various members of the clubhouse to discuss their experiences – and find out how the organization has helped them – including Big Issue salesman Dave Martin (pictured), whom he met last summer
Wiliam’s five-year project was inspired by similar initiatives in Finland, which have made great strides in the fight against homelessness
William, patron of Centrepoint and The Passage, thanked these organizations for helping him “understand not just their own work, but the huge impact of the sector more broadly”.
He continued, “I know great strides have been made and success stories prove progress is possible.”
“Here in the UK there is a strong tradition of collaboration between local authorities and the voluntary sector and it is exciting to see how social enterprises provide opportunities for people at risk of homelessness.”
And he revealed that he was inspired by the work in Finland, showing that “strong collaboration across the public, private and third sectors, backed by a long-term commitment, can put places on the path to ending homelessness.” .
The King ended his speech by saying, “I am delighted to stand here today and to officially mark the beginning of our journey to end homelessness.”
Prince William today made the first stop on his UK tour with a visit to the Mosaic Clubhouse, where he spoke to members (pictured).
During his visit to the Mosaic Clubhouse, the King also met representatives from Old Spike Roastery, a social enterprise that provides employment opportunities to the homeless
William (pictured meeting with Old Spike Roastery officials) says there is a “unique opportunity” to develop “innovative new solutions” when it comes to homelessness
William (pictured leaving the Mosaic clubhouse today) was first taken to a homeless center by his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, when he was 11
“I believe that over the next five years we have a unique opportunity to innovate new solutions and make a real impact.” This will inspire belief across the UK – and beyond – that homelessness can be ended for good .
“I am delighted to be at the beginning of this journey and to start Homewards here in Lambeth.
“Lambeth will become part of a network of six flagship Homewards sites across the UK, all committed to creating and implementing a plan to prevent homelessness in their areas.”
The center Prince William visited in Lambeth today is the first of six sites that will be part of his Homewards project
He said the areas would become a “network of six flagship Homewards sites across the UK, all committed to creating and implementing a plan to prevent homelessness in their areas”.
“They will all put collaboration at the heart of the response, forming locally led coalitions of committed people, organizations and businesses.”
“And we will be here to support you, bringing together an unprecedented network of individuals and organizations with expertise, resources and a commitment to ending homelessness.”
“We will support you in making lasting change and I am so grateful to all of you for joining us on this journey.”
“With Homewards, we will show that together we can finally end homelessness.”
As he said in his speech today, Prince William’s Homewards Initiative was inspired by similar work in Finland, where great strides have been made in reducing the problem of homelessness.
Prince William’s full speech in London today
Prince William spoke about his Homewards project today when he visited the Mosaic clubhouse in Lambeth, south London
Good Morning all. Personally, I am delighted to be here with all of you today in this beautiful garden of the Mosaic Clubhouse, a cornerstone of the Lambeth community.
It was inspiring to hear about the important work you are doing to break the link between mental health issues and homelessness.
After so many years of development, today is the day we launch Homewards – a transformative five-year program that will show that it is possible to end homelessness.
My first visit to a homeless shelter was when I was 11 and staying with my mom. The visits left a deep and lasting impression.
I’ve met so many extraordinary people and heard so many heartbreaking personal stories. Too many people no longer have a stable and permanent home.
Through these visits, I have seen firsthand the scale and complexity of homelessness. A personal thank you to guys like Dave Wilson who is here today and gave me an introduction to selling The Big Issue last summer…
And also to the fantastic teams at my patrons Centrepoint and The Passage who have really helped me to understand not only their own work but also the huge impact of the sector more broadly.
I know great strides have been made and success stories prove progress is possible.
Here in the UK there is a strong tradition of collaboration between local authorities and the voluntary sector and it is exciting to see social enterprises providing opportunities for people at risk of homelessness.
I am also encouraged by international examples such as Finland, which have shown that strong collaboration across the public, private and third sectors, backed by long-term commitment, can put places on the road to ending homelessness.
That’s why I’m excited to stand here today and to officially be at the beginning of our journey to end homelessness.
I believe that over the next five years we have a unique opportunity to innovate new solutions and make a tangible impact. This will inspire belief across the UK – and beyond – that homelessness can be ended for good.
I am delighted to be at the beginning of this journey and launching Homewards here in Lambeth.
Lambeth will become part of a network of six flagship Homewards locations across the UK, all committed to creating and implementing a plan to prevent homelessness in their areas. They will all put collaboration at the heart of the response, forming locally-led coalitions of committed people, organizations and businesses.
Their in-depth knowledge of the specific issues and requirements of their local areas will drive the work forward.
And we will be there for you. Bringing together an unparalleled network of individuals and organizations with expertise, resources and commitment to ending homelessness.
We will support you in making lasting change and I am so grateful to all of you for joining us on this journey.
With Homewards, we will show that together we can finally end homelessness.
Thank you very much.
The Prince’s five-year programme, initially focused on six sites, will encourage local businesses, organizations and individuals from sites to join forces and develop ‘tailor-made’ action plans to tackle homelessness with funding of up to £500,000.
Announcing the project ahead of his UK tour, William said: “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 that a reality and over the next five years give hope to people across the UK that through our working together, homelessness can be prevented.”
He added: “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 are able to focus on to focus on preventing homelessness rather than managing it.” .
“It’s a tall order, but I truly believe that by working together, it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeatable, and I’m really looking forward to working with our six locations to make our goal a reality.” permit.”
Homes will be a focus of the program, with each site assisted in the implementation of an innovative housing project that will test new opportunities for large-scale home development within the site and beyond.
The six selected areas, including London, were selected following a competitive bidding process and the initiative’s findings and results will be used to create models that can be replicated elsewhere in the UK.
Around 300,000 people are made homeless every night across the UK, according to Matt Downie, chief executive of the charity Crisis, one of several Homewards partner organisations.
Mr Downie described the factors ‘pushing’ people into homelessness as ‘complex’, citing a ‘severe lack of truly affordable housing’, rising rents, rising costs of living, years of low wages and job insecurity that have led to that people can no longer cope with “sudden economic shocks” and a social system that cannot support them.
Relying on ‘temporary’ solutions like hostels and bed and breakfasts cost billions, he claimed, adding: ‘Homelessness is not inevitable with services being provided to thousands of people across the UK every year.’
“We know that in most cases it is preventable and in any case it can be stopped.”
He continued, “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 all but coming to an end, and we’ve seen it as we pursue innovative programs that get people sheltered first.”
“We know that with the right decisions and by working together, we can achieve the same thing here.”
“As the number of homeless people continues to increase, innovative programs like Homewards are more necessary than ever.”
A new poll commissioned by the Royal Foundation found that one in five of the 3,473 adults surveyed in May has had a personal experience of homelessness, either directly (9%) or through family (8%) or friends (7%).
The study found that 72% of respondents felt homelessness had gotten worse over the past 12 months, while 73% believed society had not paid enough attention to ending homelessness.
During his first interview since becoming Prince of Wales, William spoke about his commitment to helping the homeless.
He said he was determined to “make a difference … that doesn’t create another downfall for people who are homeless.”
The 130,000 hectare Duchy of Cornwall stretches from Cornwall to Kent and includes properties in Newquay and Dorchester, consisting of a mix of private and some affordable housing.
Asked by The Sunday Times if there were any plans for affordable housing on the Duchy’s land, William said: “Absolutely.” Council housing. You’ll see that when it’s done. “I’m not a policy expert, but I push it where I can.”
In the newspaper it was described as a “curve ball” that the helpers had not expected. William stated that he will be “starting small” with housing construction and, if the project goes well, will look to increase the amount available.
William said: “It’s all well and good to make grand gestures, but there’s no point if … there’s no future.”