25 June 2023 , 23:01
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Prince William is following in his late mother’s footsteps as he unveils a five-year plan aiming to prevent people becoming homeless.
He is launching a project called Homewards to tackle the problem by creating six flagship locations.
They will be unveiled today and tomorrow as he embarks on a tour starting in London.
William, who visited homeless shelters as a child with Princess Diana, said: “In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe and secure home, be treated with dignity and 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 when we collaborate.”
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William, 41, added: “I’m fortunate to have seen first-hand the tireless work of people and organisations across the sector, the tangible impact their efforts can have and what can be done when communities are able to focus on preventing homelessness, rather than managing it.
Prince William greets Gail Porter ahead of the launch of Homewards (Andy Parsons/Kensington Palace v)“It’s a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated and I am very much looking forward to working with our six locations to make our ambition a reality.”
Ahead of the launch, he met several well-known faces who have been homeless including TV presenter Gail Porter and England footballer Tyrone Mings.
The six flagship locations will be supported with £500,000 of funding to get started and given access to a network of expertise and investment.
Homewards will support local partners to form coalitions of individuals, organisations and businesses to work together on issues in their area.
One of the tasks will be to test ways to provide extra housing.
Amanda Berry, chief executive of The Royal Foundation which has launched Homewards alongside William, said: “We believe change is always possible.
“We will bring together the best partners to work with us at our six locations to demonstrate that together it is possible to end homelessness.”
The five-year programme will aim to end homelessness in the UK (Andy Parsons/Kensington Palace v)William, who is patron of homelessness charities Centrepoint and the Passage, was 11 when his mother Princess Diana, first took him to a homeless shelter in London.
He then slept rough on the streets of the capital in December 2009 to highlight the problem. He also tried to go undercover to sell the Big Issue last year, but was soon spotted by passers-by.
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Gail, 52, has said she became homeless and was forced to sleep on park benches due to her TV work drying up after she began to be affected by alopecia about 20 years ago.
Diana, Princess of Wales attends Centrepoint's christmas campaign to help runaway children from becoming homeless in 1996 (WireImage)Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone, 30, was a child when he and his family spent time in a homeless shelter.
Prince William also spoke to others including West Sussex chief fire officer Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, who was forced to sleep rough due to becoming homeless aged 15.
The Centrepoint Cold Weather Project provides food, beds and respite for 47 homeless young people (PA)It is thought that up to 300,000 people, half of them children, are currently without a secure home, sleeping on the streets or sofa surfing.
William has talked of establishing social housing on his 130,000-acre Duchy of Cornwall estate.
He spoke last week about the “stigma” of homelessness and his wish to “change the narrative”.