Prince William issues rallying 'keep going' cry over Scottish homelessness project

Marking Homewards’ second anniversary, heir to the throne William said his programme was now in “delivery mode” and he outlined his optimism it would lead to long-term change.

“There are now people who are no longer experiencing homelessness thanks to your tremendous efforts,” the prince said in a letter thanking Homewards’ local coalitions.

More than 100 initiatives are in place across six locations around the UK, and some 300 homes – a mixture of empty accommodation, private rentals and new builds – are forecast to be delivered through Homewards’ Innovative Housing Projects.

The Prince of Wales during his visit to Homewards Aberdeen Coalition member Aberdeen Foyer in Aberdeen. Picture: Derek Ironside/Daily Mail

The first residents moved into flats in Aberdeen in March after Homewards brought together a local housing association, high street retailers and others to provide and furnish the property, and the first tenants in Sheffield are moving in this week.

Two years in, the project has also launched a new early intervention initiative in schools to identify young people most at risk of homelessness.

The prince will hear how the Upstream scheme is working when he travels to Meadowhead Secondary School in Sheffield tomorrow.

In February, William unveiled a new partnership with high street bank Lloyds Banking Group, which has made £50 million available to organisations tackling homelessness.

Nearly £3m has also been secured for Homewards locations from partners and coalition members.

William wrote: “I am immensely proud to say that your collective effort has already allowed us to achieve lasting impact.

“After a year of convening, our second year has seen Homewards shift into delivery mode.”

He added: “Together, we are demonstrating tangible impact. I know this is a mammoth challenge and change won’t come overnight, but over the past year we’ve started to shift the dial and there are now people who are no longer experiencing homelessness thanks to your tremendous efforts.”

He described how creating long-term change was “complex and unpredictable”, adding: “But I am confident we can lead and inspire understanding, empathy and optimism that homelessness can be ended.”

The prince ended his letter by signing it in his own handwriting: “Keep going! William”.

He launched his Homewards programme, which aims to develop a blueprint for eradicating homelessness in all its forms, “making it rare, brief and unrepeated”, in 2023.

Six locations were chosen – Aberdeen, Newport in south Wales, Lambeth in south London, Northern Ireland, Sheffield and the three neighbouring Dorset towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch – with the aim of delivering bespoke solutions to the homelessness issues in each area.

The preventative approach, which seeks to tackle the root causes of homelessness and provide support to young people and their families at the earliest opportunity, is modelled on the successful Geelong Project in Australia, which saw a 40 per cent reduction in youth homelessness and a 20 per cent reduction in the number of young people leaving school early.

Homewards has also created action plans to focus efforts on the most at-risk groups in each location, such as single people and under-25s in Aberdeen, lone parents in temporary accommodation in Lambeth and families and women facing multiple disadvantages in Newport.