Prince of Wales: I truly believe we can end homelessness

The Prince of Wales will say on Thursday that he “truly” believes homelessness can be “ended”, despite it blighting the lives of “far too many people”.

Prince William is marking the first year of his project to solve homelessness, which will report its progress in building community links to make homelessness “rare, brief and unrepeated”.

He has recently hosted members of the public who have had “lived experience” of homelessness, inviting them to Windsor to hear more about what needs to be done to help.

At a speech due to be delivered at an event in Lambeth, south London, on Thursday morning, he will say: “Homelessness is a complex societal issue and one that touches the lives of far too many people in our society. However, I truly believe that it can be ended.”

He hopes to “demonstrate that it is possible to end homelessness,” he will add.

The Prince’s Homewards project is working in six UK locations, building a network between the public, private and third sectors to identify the root causes of different forms of homelessness and make progress towards eradicating it in five years.

Matt Downie, CEO of homeless charity Crisis and a Homewards sector partner, said of the ethos: “The question isn’t what are our big problems and how can we wallow in them. The question is who can help?”

He added: “We are facing some really, really tough times. Homelessness is going up but actually, the evidence to end homelessness has never been better.”

The Prince and the Homewards project, run through the Royal Foundation, is taking inspiration from Finland, considered a global leader in the field.

It has a network of advocates around the UK to help identify how and where Homewards can best help.

One, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, who experienced homelessness as a teenager and is now chief fire officer for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, suggested the prince had empathy for rough sleepers because of his own life experiences.

His mother Diana, Princess of Wales, took him to homeless shelters as a child to help broaden his horizons.

“He understands trauma, he does understand trauma,” said Ms Cohen-Hatton.

“He can see echoes of it in himself I think, from that experience of trauma and how it affects you and how it affects the way you see things.”

She has recently visited Windsor Castle along with a former long-term rough sleeper called Wayne, who told the Prince how he had turned his life around.

Moving from “managing to ending” homelessness was essential, he said, along with identifying the types of people most at risk of losing their homes.