Homewards Fund
Overview
Background
Why homelessness?
In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe and secure home, be treated with dignity and given the support they need. It is estimated that over 300,000 people – nearly half of whom are children – are sofa surfing, sleeping on the streets, staying in hostels, living in their cars or other forms of temporary accomodation.
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.
About the funders
Prince William and The Royal Foundation have been developing this programme for two years, in consultation with the sector and experts from around the world. It has been inspired by international success stories such as Finland and projects across the UK.
Work in partnership with locations
Homewards is locally led and puts collaboration at the heart of the response. Their locations will form local coalitions of committed people, organisations and businesses, who will work together to create and deliver a plan to prevent and end homelessness.
Homewards will use its unique platform to raise awareness of the breadth and complexities of homelessness and galvanise communities to get involved. They’ll do this through national campaigns, local storytelling and by placing those with lived experience at the heart of this work.
Homewards Locations
- Aberdeen, Scotland
- Sheffield
- Newport, Wales
- Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole
- Lambeth
- Northern Ireland
Unprecedented support and a five-year commitment
Homewards will support the locations with access to an extensive network of best-in-class expertise, potential partners and funders to unlock new ideas and further investment; up to £500,000 of flexible funding; a local lead to drive forward action; and a research partner to evaluate success.
By the end of that period, they want their locations to be on a path to ending homelessness for good – making it rare, brief and unrepeated. Their ambition is that this becomes business as usual, not just in these locations, but around the UK and beyond.
Criteria
The Homewards Fund will support solutions that are in line with the following principles:
- Enables the delivery of the Local Action Plans established by the Homewards’ Local Coalitions across the six locations.
- Reflects, encourages and enables collaboration amongst Homewards Local Coalition members, whose values and ambitions align with the Homewards programme.
- Has a strong focus on the prevention of homelessness, where possible.
- Is something the Fund is uniquely placed to do and support projects the Local Authority cannot currently be expected to commission themselves.
- Is inclusive and diverse, including lived experience at its core.
- Enables shared learnings across the homelessness sector and beyond.
- Avoids creating long term dependencies on The Royal Foundation and/or this funding.
Eligibility
The Homewards Fund is a targeted fund, aimed at supporting members of the Local Coalitions in the six Homewards locations. The fund is open to the following
categories of organisation:
- Incorporated and unincorporated community groups such as CIOs, CICs and charitable companies from the third sector that:
- Are registered with the Charity Commission, Companies House or Mutuals Public register (FCA).
- CICs, limited companies and similar must be clearly constituted for public benefit and should be limited by guarantee, not shares.
- Have a management committee/board of director/trustees of at least three unrelated people, none of whom have significant control.
- Are able to provide a copy of their most recent annual accounts or financial records showing the organisation’s balance of funds, income and reserves.
- Have safeguarding and all relevant policies in place, including insurance.
- Housing Associations that can:
- Demonstrate their social purpose.
- The work will directly benefit The Royal Foundation’s selected location(s).
- The work will be sustainable and directly benefit those experiencing homelessness.
- Have robust governance arrangements.
- Private Companies who are part of and members of a local Coalition that can:
- Demonstrate they are financially responsible, accountable, transparent and that funds are not used to generate profit.
- Demonstrate limits on how they use or promote the grant to avoid improper marketing or commercialisation of the programme objectives.
- Comply with all laws and regulations, including not using grant funds for political lobbying.
- Restrict funds to ensure they go towards project focussed activities and not general business operations.
- Demonstrate a desire to match funds or provide in-kind support, demonstrating a commitment to the project.
- Public Bodies that can:
- Clearly demonstrate their role and mandate in addressing homelessness or related social issues.
- Demonstrate that proposed projects or activities are not statutory duties that they are obligated to fulfil.
- Demonstrate a significant commitment to collaborating and coordinating with other stakeholders.
- Implement strict financial controls and auditing processes to ensure that the funds are used solely for the intended purposes and not diverted for other operational costs.
- Ensure that the funded projects do not duplicate or conflict with existing services or initiatives within the targeted location(s), and instead complement and enhance the overall efforts to address homelessness.
- Local Authorities that can:
- Demonstrate that proposed projects or activities are not statutory duties that Local Authorities are obligated to fulfil.
- Demonstrate a significant willingness to collaborate and work in an equitable partnership with other stakeholders.
- Demonstrate a clear social purpose and commitment to addressing homelessness in the specified Homewards location(s).
- Ensure that the proposed work or projects will directly benefit and provide sustainable solutions for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
- Commit to using the funds exclusively for project-focused activities and initiatives related to addressing homelessness, rather than for general operational costs.
The Homewards Northern Ireland Fund is now open for applications.
The Homewards Fund aims to support the delivery of the Homewards Northern Ireland’s Local Action Plan.
Up to £500,000 will be available to each location across the lifecycle of the five-year programme.
Grants can be used to facilitate local partners to deliver additional capacity, resources and projects needed to unlock scalable and transformative solutions to end homelessness in Northern Ireland.
While they know that this is only a start, the Fund will enable Northern Ireland to test new ideas, help unlock new partners and investment, and learn what works – and what doesn’t.
Useful Documents
They are pleased share further information about the Fund including the Prospectus, FAQs, and Guidance and Considerations for Applications, which can be accessed by the following link:
https://royalfoundation.canto.global/b/NRK0S
Link includes the following documents:
Please also note that while the Fund is now open, collaboration is a key principle of Homewards, so it is important that your idea has been discussed and agreed with your relevant coalition working and/or delivery group before an application is made.