Prince William is due to be in Poole today.
He’ll visit Millenium House, an 11-bed mental health supported scheme, to launch a new partnership between Homewards – the UK-wide homelessness programme – and Lloyds Banking Group (LBG).
As a new Homewards Activator, LBG will provide an initial £50 million in new lending to support small and medium-sized housing providers and charities in the six Homewards locations.
Millenium House is run by Bournemouth Churches Housing Association (BCHA) and provides supported housing for people with mental health needs.
BCHA has previously benefitted from Lloyds Banking Group’s support
The Prince will then visit Bournemouth and Poole College to see how Homewards BCP has helped to bring local organisations together to create successful employment programmes.
Homewards BCP Coalition members Bournemouth and Poole College, Sunseeker International, and Faithworks were brought together through the Homewards programme to help tackle homelessness in BCP.
Since September 2023, they’ve worked collaboratively to create a range of new employment pathways which are open to people at risk of or experiencing homelessness locally.
The new employment schemes include a Job Ready Programme, which is taught at Bournemouth and Poole College, with Faithworks referring people at risk of or experiencing homelessness to the scheme.
Following this, course participants are then able to interview for the Sunseeker Boat Building Programme, which is taught across Bournemouth and Poole College’s Sunseeker Skills Academy, and at the Sunseeker shipyard.
Prince William will visit the Sunseeker Skills Academy and meet organisations involved in creating the programme and individuals who have completed it and are now in permanent roles at Sunseeker, originally referred via Faithworks.
Homewards is part of The Royal Foundation.