Latest news with #Homewards
South Wales Argus
5 days ago
- General
- South Wales Argus
Craig Smith on Homewards Coalition Trust and Forward Trust's work
Since those early days as a tenancy support worker, I have had the pleasure of having worked in and led services supporting some of the most vulnerable and excluded people across Wales. Although the housing landscape has changed and brought new and increasing pressures and challenges, the single most powerful learning over the past 21+ years has been that when likeminded passionate and values-based people come together to look at a problem and involve and include people with lived experience great things can happen. I joined Forward Trust in late 2022 and was attracted by the Forward vision as it really resonated with me and everything I have strived to offer in my services – 'Our vision is that anyone – whatever their history or circumstances – gets the opportunity and support to live a positive life that fulfils their potential, and to inspire others to follow the same path.' This vision has underpinned everything we do and through developing positive effective working partnerships with HMPPS prison and probation colleagues, local authority homelessness teams, social housing and private rental sector landlords and a wide range of support services we have been able to have a real impact on the lives of people engaging with our service reducing the risk of homelessness and improve housing options available to men on probation and men returning to their communities after a prison sentence. A few months ago our Camau team (Camau accommodation probation service - Forward Trust) came together to develop a local vision for our service which we hope will inspire others to create new and creative housing pathways for 'Our Vision - Everybody deserves a place to call home.' We work with men on probation who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness to progress through their housing journey and take steps towards stable accommodation. In doing this we will connect them to skills, options and services that will empower them to have ownership of their housing journey. Our service supports, informs and empowers our neighbours in custody and the community, on every step of their journey to regain or retain housing and reach their full potential. I recently had the great pleasure of representing Forward Trust at the recent Homewards: Delivering Change Together event in Sheffield to celebrate the second anniversary of the Homewards programme, and met some truly inspirational colleagues from across the UK and a clear message hit home throughout the day 'Together we can end homelessness'. The work of the Homewards delivery partners across the six locations is having an immediate and lasting impact on the communities in which they are being delivered. It's a privilege to be involved in creating a supportive, collaborative partnership of delivery partners with a shared vision of making homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated and I look forward working with colleagues to create new solutions together. Craig Smith is the senior operations manager (Wales) - Commissioned Rehabilitative Services at The Forwards Trust, a Homewards Newport Coalition member.
ITV News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Prince William given rousing welcome by pupils on visit to Sheffield
The Prince of Wales was in the city to highlight his Homewards programme, which aims to tackle homelessness.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
It's Princess Diana's Birthday, And Prince William Has Major Plans To Honour It
Prince William has a deeply meaningful plan to honour what would've been his mother Princess Diana's 64th birthday today. Prince William intends to travel to Sheffield to mark the second anniversary of his Homewards initiative, which aims to make homelessness 'rare, brief and unrepeated.' The initiative was largely inspired by the advocacy of his late mother. Prince William launched the Homewards initiative in 2023 as part of a five-year plan to tackle homelessness. Per the Royal Foundation, 'Homewards will support local partners to form locally led coalitions of committed individuals, organisations, and businesses who will work together to create and deliver a tailored plan to prevent homelessness in their areas – based on local needs and local expertise.' Upon the launch of the initiative, Prince William featured in an ITV documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, in which he commented on how much of an inspiration Princess Diana had been in his establishing the scheme. 'My mother took me to The Passage [a homeless shelter]. She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about 11, I think, probably, at the time. Maybe 10. I'd never been to anything like that before. And I was a bit anxious as to what to expect,' Prince William said in the documentary, per the BBC. 'My mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed, and having a laugh and joking with everyone. I remember at the time, kind of thinking, well, if everyone's not got a home, they're all going to be really sad.' Prince William's interview in the 2024 ITV documentary also marked his first time in six years publicly referencing his brother Prince Harry. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today Might Also Like Pyjamas You Can Wear All Day 10 Hand Soaps To Make Your Bathroom Feel Like A Fancy Hotel 8 Of The Best Natural Deodorants
Telegraph
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Prince William is influenced by his mother, says Gordon Brown
The Prince of Wales is changing attitudes towards homelessness in the way his late mother did for Aids, Gordon Brown has said. The former prime minister joined Prince William and Steven Bartlett, the Dragon's Den entrepreneur, for a panel discussion marking the second anniversary of Homewards, the Prince's homelessness project. He acknowledged that the Prince had been 'very influenced by his mother' on the issue, adding that Diana, Princess of Wales had 'encouraged him to take an interest in why people were on the streets, and why people were homeless, and why people needed a better chance'. 'I think he's changing people's view of homelessness and what can be done about it,' Mr Brown said. 'Remember, his mother changed people's views on Aids, his mother changed people's views on landmines, and I think he's changing people's view that you've got to think of a homeless person as an individual who has potential – who if given the proper chance, can actually make something of their lives, and not as someone to be discounted as a down-and-out.' The Prince announced a new partnership with Mr Brown's Multibank charity, which provides necessities such as toiletries, bedding and clothes for people when they are rehoused after a period of homelessness. During the on-stage discussion in Sheffield, he spoke of his mission to alleviate homelessness for the thousands 'screwed by society' by offering them hope for the future. He said that part of his aim was to 'change the narrative around what homelessness is' and the fact that 'it's not just about housing'. The Prince was introduced to the issue of homelessness by his mother when he was just 11 and it has become a deeply personal challenge. With Homewards, a five-year project aiming to make homelessness 'rare, brief and unrepeated' in six pilot locations, he is determined to finish the work she started. Mr Brown said of the heir to the throne: 'I think his focus on the causes of homelessness and then on how to prevent it, and then on building the partnerships, that's really the way forward. 'He has got this huge convening power [...] so I think we're going to see something quite big here. 'The whole country should feel proud of what he's doing.' William said he was aiming to expand on more than 100 local initiatives tackling homelessness across his six flagship locations – Aberdeen, Lambeth, Newport, Sheffield, Northern Ireland and Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole – by bringing in partners from across the private, public and charity sector. 'Partnership is the key in everything that Homewards stands for,' he said. 'I can tell you very clearly it's a team game. 'Nothing happens without us all working together and doing things properly. It's very difficult for the government, it's difficult for businesses, it's difficult for the charity sector, partnerships, communities, whatever it is, the whole system gels when it works together.' He added: 'It's about bringing as many people into the equation as possible. We've all got a part to play and if we all pull on those strings we can make a difference. 'Hope is very important. I feel less hopeful when I'm doing something by myself. I think as human beings we all want to feel connected and I always think the greatest impact is when we work together.' 'Employment pathway' The Prince said one strand of the project that was already yielding results was the 'employment pathway', helping those affected by homelessness to find jobs. 'To get them back into society you have to give them the skillset to do that,' he said. 'If you can't find a job, you don't get skills and you don't have any skills because you're at an age when you're past your education or training opportunities, you are literally screwed by society unless somebody comes along and says, 'I'll give you a chance and an opportunity.' 'If we are going to sit back and wait for that to happen, it's going to take a very long time to sort this out.' Mr Bartlett, who became an advocate for the programme last year, told how a recent trip with the Prince to Aberdeen 'completely changed my perception' of the issue. He said: 'We are only at the beginning of what I think is going to be a very big success story.'
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Prince William meets pupils at secondary school
Prince William received a hero's welcome as he greeted pupils during a visit to Meadowhead secondary school in Sheffield. The visit marked the second year of his homelessness prevention initiative. Prince William has been running the Homewards programme for two years, working with others to tackle the root causes of homelessness.
