You may have read in the press about the new Homewards programme launched by Prince William which hopes to demonstrate over the next five years that it is possible to end homelessness.
Homewards will be operating in six areas of the UK – Newport in Wales, Lambeth in London, neighbouring Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, Sheffield, Aberdeen in Scotland and in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Each area will receive £500,000 from the Royal Foundation and Homewards will support partners to form locally led coalitions of committed individuals, organisations and businesses and work together to create and deliver a tailored plan to prevent homelessness in their area – based on local needs and local expertise.
As well as aiming to deliver real, tangible impact in each local area, Homewards will focus on improving understanding and boosting optimism around the issue of homelessness.
What could this mean for homelessness in our area?
Zandi Zungu, Head of Services at Launchpad, said: “It is great to see a well-known and influential voice raising awareness on the homelessness issue – when we think about what Prince Diana achieved in her campaigning for HIV and Aids charities, that was a really great piece of work.
“The important thing to note about the Homewards initiative is that it is a long-term investment, £3 million over the course of five years, and that is the type of financial investment that causes like homelessness need.
“We look forward to seeing the results and findings from the programme.”
One objective of Homewards is to change society’s knowledge and opinion about homelessness, boosting positivity about the prospects for achieving success.
What do the public think about homelessness?
*Ipsos’ research for Homewards found that amongst the general public, there is a considerable amount of goodwill and empathy to build on.
Eight in 10 Brits believe that homelessness can happen to anyone, while the same proportion think it’s unfair to take a negative view of those experiencing homelessness.
Seven in 10 people believe homelessness has gotten worse in the past 12 months in the UK and eight in 10 of this group think it will get worse in the next 12 months.
What is Launchpad experiencing?
Zandi, explains the current situation: “We are seeing a 30% year on year increase in people utilising our services.
“Last year alone we saw a 42% per cent increase in our drop-in service which provides free housing advice to people, and there are multiple factors for that.
“Rising interest rates, rent and utility costs, but the most pressing is the lack of affordable housing and the demand for people to rent properties across the area.
“The broader issue around homelessness is that it is much more than rough sleeping; it encompasses people who are sofa surfing, those who are in emergency accommodation, like bed and breakfast, but it also encompasses people who have lost their jobs and people who have dealt with a relationship breakdown.
“Our aim to alleviate homelessness is by purchasing property; houses of multiple occupancy, so that we can accommodate vulnerable people.
“The cost-of-living crisis means that people are giving less, and donations have fallen behind pre Covid levels.
“We are very fortunate to have local government support for our services but we do seek donations and grants to fund our one of our main services, our work and life skills centre which provides work-readiness skills and digital-skills to vulnerable people and those in the community who may not be able to learn in a more traditional setting.”
By donating to a local charity like Launchpad, people can invest within the Reading community and help to make a real difference.
* https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/two-three-people-believe-there-plenty-society-can-do-end-homelessness
If you would like to support our work, please contact Kirsti Wilson, Head of Marketing and Fundraising, by emailing kirsti.wilson@launchpadreading.org.uk