The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Northern Ireland as Homewards expands employment network across the UK

The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Northern Ireland to see how businesses and local partners are working with The Royal Foundation’s Homewards programme to support young people at risk of homelessness into sustainable employment.

The visit highlighted early progress in Homewards’ New Employment Opportunities Network (NEON). First piloted in Northern Ireland, the place-based, business-led network is now being developed in four further Homewards locations, with learnings from Northern Ireland helping to shape each local approach.

NEON connects two areas that are often addressed separately: employment and homelessness prevention. It brings employers, employability organisations, public services and community partners together to create sustainable routes into work and coordinate the support that young people and their employers may need before and after recruitment.

Their Royal Highnesses began the visit at The Commons in Belfast, where they met young people, employers, local partners and NEON Chairs from across the Homewards locations. Discussions focused on how sustainable employment, alongside coordinated support, can help young people build confidence, stability and independence, and how the learnings from Northern Ireland can help support the work of the other NEON boards as they develop.

Northern Ireland became the first Homewards location to test the NEON model in 2025. So far, seven employers have recruited a total of 21 young people through the network, with coordinated support available before and after they start work. The pilot has had a particular focus on care-experienced young people, who can face significant barriers to both employment and housing stability.

Later, The Prince and Princess visited IKEA Belfast to see how the network operates in practice. IKEA has recruited young people locally through NEON, supported by Homewards partner Hays’ Project Flourish in partnership with EveryYouth.

Here, Their Royal Highnesses met employers interested in supporting NEON’s development, including Howdens, Specsavers and DFS, and heard how inclusive recruitment, combined with sustained workplace support, can unlock talent, strengthen retention and help businesses build more resilient workforces.

They also met a young person employed by IKEA through NEON, alongside some of the people who supported her journey into work, and discussed how employment, relationships and ongoing support have helped her develop greater confidence and independence.

Homewards is now calling on more businesses to join NEON by hiring at least one young person at risk of homelessness and supporting them to stay and thrive in employment for at least 12 months. By bringing businesses together with trusted local partners, NEON aims to build evidence on how sustainable employment can help prevent homelessness and support Homewards’ ambition to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated.