Prince William visits Homewards Aberdeen to unveil new housing and employment initiatives to tackle homelessness

Prince William visited Aberdeen to launch exciting new initiatives to deliver homes and create employment pathways for those at risk of or experiencing homelessness in the city.

Homewards is in its delivery phase, working with Activator partners that can support the delivery of each location’s Action Plan. The need for employment pathways has been identified by the programme as crucial to preventing homelessness.

In response to this priority, Hays, one of the UK’s leading recruitment expert, has joined Homewards as an Activator. Through this partnership, they will support the programme by securing national and local commitments for employment and training opportunities that will roll out across the six Homewards locations. Hays will also share bespoke data-driven insights that are crucial to understanding and addressing employment barriers faced by those experiencing homelessness.

The new partnership builds on youth employability programme Project Flourish, created in 2022 by Hays and EveryYouth – a national charity that helps 16-25-year-olds at risk of, or experiencing homelessness develop the skills to secure meaningful employment, and provides job-ready training and support.

Prince William was also joined for this visit by Homewards Advocate, Steven Bartlett, who also made a commitment to supporting the importance of employment through using his platform to showcase the positive role and impact business can have in efforts to end homelessness.

Homewards Advocate, Steven Bartlett commented, “This partnership isn’t just about providing jobs, it’s about restoring dignity, possibility, and hope. And if we can prove what’s possible here, we can change the way the country thinks about homelessness for good.”

Prince William also celebrated the launch of Invisible Cities in Aberdeen. Invisible Cities is a social enterprise bringing a fresh take to local tourism by offering walking tours of cities across the UK guided by people who have experienced homelessness. Guides undertake four weeks of training and upon graduating they can either become a guide or have gained skills they are able to take onto other employment opportunities.

Following their launch in Aberdeen and made possible by their grant from the Homewards Fund, Invisible Cities will later roll out across all six Homewards locations.

Prince William was then joined by Homewards Advocate, Gail Porter, to meet one of the first residents to move into one of the newly unlocked 31 homes, as delivered through the Homewards Aberdeen Innovative Housing Project. This project sees empty homes being brought back into use for those at risk of homelessness.

The next stage was to make these houses feel like home with the right furniture and fittings. Working with local Coalition member, Langstane Housing Association, a registered social landlord, Homewards convened local and national businesses to provide these items in an effort to encourage longer tenancy and helping prevent homelessness. This initiative saw support from Homewards Activator IKEA, Bosch, DFS Group, Dunelm, The Furnishing Service, Glencraft, The Multibank and Somebody Cares.

Judith Sutherland, Director of Housing, Langstane Housing Association, commented, “The positive impact of Homewards Aberdeen extends beyond just housing, it strengthens community ties and enhances the wellbeing of tenants, paving the way for a more cohesive and committed local approach to tackling homelessness. ”

Homelessness can’t be ended with housing alone. That’s why these landmark initiatives focused on creating homes and employment pathways are so important as we continue to demonstrate it’s possible to end homelessness, together.