Prince William’s Homewards project to launch new scheme

It will be rolled out to two more schools in the city later this year and there are plans to launch it in all six of Homeward’s locations.

Prince William will mark two years of his project with a visit to Sheffield on Tuesday, as the pilot is launched.

People in Sheffield will also be moving into housing delivered by Homewards through the city’s Innovative Housing Project (IHP) this week.

The project provides furnished properties and support services to help residents sustain tenancies.

Since its launch, Homewards has rolled out more than 100 schemes to prevent homelessness in the places where it works: Aberdeen; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Lambeth; Newport; Northern Ireland and Sheffield.

Liz Laurence, programme director for Homewards, said: “When we launched Homewards, our aim was simple: to demonstrate that, together, it’s possible to end homelessness, working with six locations. Two years in, Homewards is firmly in delivery mode.

“Collaboration has been crucial in making things happen, and this year has highlighted the power of partnerships on a national level, but also the importance of local togetherness, which has allowed for such meaningful progress.

“We look forward to continuing and building on this work into year three of the programme and beyond.”

Lydia Stazen, former executive director of the Institute of Global Homelessness and a member of Homewards national expert panel, said: “Bringing a sustainable end to homelessness is complex, takes time and requires collaboration from all parts of society. Two years in, Homewards is showing how it can be done, using its convening power to bring new voices and expertise to the table, and working to deliver scalable, impactful solutions to this societal challenge.”