Prince William Heads to Wales to Highlight Trauma and Poverty Issues Experienced by Unhoused Women

11/20/2024 10:10 AM

The Prince of Wales visited Newport, which is one of the centers for his Homewards project

Prince William is highlighting the particular difficulties women face when they are unhoused.

Women who don't have a home often face disadvantages, from trauma to poverty and domestic abuse. They are especially susceptible to experience "hidden homelessness," as they are less likely than men to sleep on the streets because of fears for their safety. Instead, they might sleep on friends' sofas or on public transport.

On Nov. 20, William headed to Newport, Wales, which is one of the six key areas around the U.K. that his Homewards program is focusing on as it seeks to make homelessness "rare, brief and unrepeated." Last week, he went to Belfast, Northern Ireland to check in with the specific work being done there as well.

Unhoused women have been identified as a key priority in Newport, where there are reports of a rise in women's homelessness. In doing so, Homewards hopes to not only help these women but also share learnings with the program's other five flagship locations and beyond.

Soon after after arriving in the city on Nov. 20, William, 42, was told what the local coalition brought together by Homewards is doing to prevent women's homelessness in the city, and he highlighted the commitments from local organizations which have made pledges of support.

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The Prince of Wales was joined by Homewards Advocate Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, who herself experienced homelessness as a teenager in the city. Cohen-Hatton, who appeared in William's recent documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, is now a successful fire chief in an English county. The pair visited The Nelson Trust, which plays a pivotal role in delivering trauma-informed support for women in Newport.

They met local women who have experienced homelessness and are part of a "Women of Newport" photography project, which seeks to raise awareness and change perceptions around women's homelessness and demonstrate that recovery from homelessness is possible. They also privately visited a women's support service to hear from women who have experienced homelessness due to domestic abuse and sexual exploitation.

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The meeting highlighted what services are needed to help women who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and what needs to be done to support them further in the city.

William's visit came as the Newport Homewards coalition announced a series of initiatives that will help women in the area. The local publicly-funded National Health Service will provide an Early Intervention Worker who will focus on helping women get access to the right services as soon as they come forward to help them avoid reaching a crisis point.

For the first time in Newport, local authorities are committing themselves to exploring the provision of women-specific properties in the city. The Nelson Trust, which William visited, will help professionals across a range of support organizations are better trained and equipped to help women who have experienced trauma.

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William also met the businesses, charities and other organizations that are working in the Homewards Newport Coalition to hear about commitments they are making to support local efforts to prevent and end women's homelessness. These organizations included Newport City Homes, Newport City Council, Newport Live, POBL, Dick Lovett and Public Health Wales.