Prince William has launched a new initiative aimed at creating job opportunities for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Northern Ireland.
The new initiative from The Royal Foundation’s Homewards programme will see Hays, one of the UK’s leading recruitment experts, create employment pathways for those experiencing, or at risk of homelessness in six locations across the UK.
His Royal Highness will travel to Aberdeen to make the announcement, and will be joined by Homewards Advocate Steven Bartlett, who has committed to use his platform to showcase the positive role and impact business can have in efforts to end homelessness.
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Launched in 2023, Homewards is a five-year programme aiming to demonstrate that it is possible to end homelessness- making it rare, brief, and unrepeated. Now in its delivery phase, the programme is 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 challenge, Hays has today joined Homewards as an ‘Activator’ and will support the programme to secure national and local commitments for employment and training opportunities. Hays will also share bespoke data-driven insights that are crucial to understanding and addressing employment barriers faced by those experiencing homelessness. The partnership will roll out across all six Homewards locations: Aberdeen; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Lambeth; Newport; Northern Ireland; Sheffield.
Karen Young, Social & Environmental Purpose Lead, Hays UK&I said: “Hays and Homewards share the belief that sustainable employment is key to preventing and ultimately ending homelessness. We look forward to collaborating with Homewards to empower employers and create strong employment pathways for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.”
The new partnership builds on youth employability programme Project Flourish, created in 2022 by Hays and EveryYouth - a national charity for 16-25-year-olds at risk of, or experiencing homelessness. Project Flourish helps disadvantaged young people develop the skills to secure meaningful employment and provides job-ready training and support.
The project also helps employers to create inclusive processes and environments. National and local employers, including Specsavers and Amey, will be among the participants in the initiative.
Pim Gregory, Executive Director for Homelessness at The Royal Foundation comments: “Homelessness cannot be ended with homes alone, and this is why the initiatives announced today also encompass new training and employment pathways for people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness.”
Prince William will also celebrate the launch of Invisible Cities in Aberdeen. Invisible Cities is a social enterprise offering walking tours of cities across the UK guided by people who have experienced homelessness.
The guides tailor their tours, sharing untold stories of local history and culture alongside their own experiences. 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.
Invisible Cities Aberdeen has been made possible by the Homewards Fund, up to £500,000 of flexible funding that can be accessed by each flagship location across the lifespan of the programme to support the delivery of their Local Action Plan. Launching first in Aberdeen, Invisible Cities will later roll out across all six Homewards locations.
Zakia Moulaoui Guery, CEO and Founder of Invisible Cities said: "Launching in Aberdeen is an incredible milestone for us and to be able to achieve this with the support of The Royal Foundation’s Homewards programme makes it even more meaningful. As we continue to offer training, support and mentoring to people who want to become guides, and bring together people from our communities, we feel very proud to welcome people from around the world to see Aberdeen from a brand-new perspective. "
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