Prince William Announces Plans To Build Homes For Homeless On His Estate

Britain's Prince Willaim has announced plans to build on his own land to tackle homelessness. According to the BBC, this project will provide 24 homes on the Duchy of Cornwall land - a private estate which, as per the official site, funds the public, charitable and private activities of the Prince of Wales and his family. The construction of the homes will begin in September and the first homes are due to be completed in autumn 2025. 

According to the official statement, the homes will be built in partnership with homelessness charity St Petrocs. The first phase of the development will focus on "creating high-quality temporary accommodation that feels like home," as per the BBC. The statement also added that "wrap-around support" would be provided by St Petrocs to help residents access training and employment opportunities. 

Ben Murphy, Duchy's estate director, said that homes would help "break the cycle of homelessness in the Newquay area". "As one of his key priorities for the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince William asked us to address the homelessness challenge within Cornwall and other areas where the estate resides," he said.

"The Duchy is well-known for integrating high quality affordable housing into the new communities built on its land, and Prince William is determined to ensure that we continue to be part of the solution when it comes to the housing crisis. The shortage of social rent and private rented properties are widely considered to be the main causes of increasing homelessness across the country, which is why we are proud to launch this project alongside ambitious plans to unlock more affordable and attainable homes across our estate," Mr Murphy added. 

Separately, charity St Petrocs said it would help residents access training and employment "to provide a route out of homelessness for good". 

"Our charity has been working in Cornwall for over 30 years and has supported many hundreds of people in this time. With the Duchy of Cornwall, we believe we can deliver a truly exemplary project embedded in the local community which will provide a route for many more people out of homelessness for good," the charity's chief executive said, as per the outlet. 

Also read | AI Avatars Will Soon Attend Your Work Meetings, Claims Tech CEO

Notably, the latest announcement by Prince William is part of his five-year campaign - announced in 2023 - to end homelessness. 

Apart from the 24 homes, the Duchy of Cornwall also confirmed its future housing projects that would aim to increase affordable housing from 30% to 40%, meaning up to 200 more affordable homes will be built on top of the existing 1,020, the BBC reported. It also said it plans to create a Private Rented Scheme for Nansledan, which removes barriers to entry for those on lower incomes, provides longer-term tenancies and transparent rent increases.

Moreover, the estate committed to building more than 400 social rented homes and a further 475 affordable dwellings on its new development of South East Faversham in Kent.