Monday June 26, 2023 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
William Prince of Wales has launched an initiative to end homelessness in the United Kingdom.
His new foundation called Homewards UK is “demonstrating that together we can end homelessness – making it rare, brief and unrepeated”.
Homewards UK is a five-year program committed to demonstrating that it’s possible to end homelessness in the UK. “Having a home is more than just bricks and mortar. What does home mean to you?,” was part of the messaging that caught national attention today in Canada.
William appears in a video posted on social media. Some of his land from the Duchy of Cornwall that he just inherited will be used for social housing.
There are currently 300,000 people in the UK without a place to call home; nearly half of those are children, according to Homewards UK. The UK population is about 68 million.
Despite tireless efforts across the sector and beyond, it continues to exist because we too often focus on managing the problem rather than working to prevent it.
“To end it, it will take every one of us, from every sector of society and every corner of the UK, working together and making unique contributions to support our locations and galvanise momentum,” it is stated on the Homewards UK website.
Homewards UK will have six flagship locations where organizations will be brought together to find local solutions. Homeless shelters are not the solution, but rather finding homes for people so they can begin to build or rebuild a life.
Root causes of homelessness include income insufficiency, lack of or mis-matched education for the current job market, and a history of trauma or abuse in the family. Helping people with substance use — where that is present — is part of the solution.
The Diana factor:
Homewards UK is a next-gen initiative using the influence of modern royalty (and their available land) for the common good.
William’s mother the late Diana Princess of Wales would be proud. She made a point of exposing William and his brother Harry to ‘the real world’ beyond the palace walls when they were young. With his mother, William saw homelessness at age 11; later on he chose to spend one night overnight on the street to get some firsthand experience in the homeless environment.
BC addressing homelessness:
Here in BC, the provincial government has a Belonging in BC homelessness plan.
The plan includes immediate actions backed by $633 million in Budget 2022 (over three years) and $1.5 billion in Budget 2023 to help thousands of people maintain and access housing and supports.
Through this plan, Government is working with Indigenous partners, people with lived experience of homelessness, local governments, service providers and other partners to create a province where everyone has a community and a place to call home.
- Belonging in B.C. homelessness plan
- Outreach programs
- Understanding homelessness in B.C.
- Grants and partnerships
- Shelters and supportive housing
- Homeless encampments
- Supporting the Downtown Eastside
The 2016 Royal Tour in Victoria:
Prince William and Kate visited Victoria, BC in September 2016 on an official tour. During that trip they were greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and BC Premier John Horgan.
The royal couple visited the Cridge Centre for the Family in line with their interest in helping disadvantaged people.
Island Social Trends (then West Shore Voice News) editor Mary P Brooke was accredited as media during The Royal Tour in Victoria.
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke is the editor and publisher of Island Social Trends. She has been a sociological thinker and writer all of her life.
Mary is the mother of four now-grown children. As a family they experienced the impacts of the education system through the 1990-2015 years in SD61 and SD62. Mary ran as a school trustee candidate in SD62 in the October 2022 election.
Ms Brooke holds a B.Sc. in Foods and Nutrition (with a second major in sociology), a university certificate in Public Relations, and an industry certificate in digital marketing. She launched her west shore publication series in 2008 (MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, West Shore Voice News 2014-2020, Island Social Trends 2020 to present).
Ms Brooke has been nominated in 2023 for the Jack Webster Foundation Shelley Fralic Award for a woman journalist’s contribution to her community and society.