Prince William’s “We Can End Homelessness”: Thoughts on the documentary

Prince William launched a campaign to prevent homelessness in the UK over a year ago. He founded Homewards, and initiative aimed at showing homelessness could be ended and it should not exist in the 21st century in an economically developed country like the UK.

Recently, ITVx aired the two-part documentary following the Prince of Wales’ efforts, highlighting not only the work of the royals but also that of the charities and advocates all over the UK.

The project aims to show that homelessness can be prevented by developing commercially viable projects in Lambeth, Bournemouth, Newport, Sheffield, Aberdeen and Northern Ireland.

Let’s get the elephant out of the way – yes there is undeniably eye-rolling irony surrounding one of the most privileged people in modern history making a documentary about homelessness. The juxtaposing concept is not lost on me.

Another thing, I am anything but a royalist. I never have been, nor will I be, but this brings me on to an important point to make before offering thoughts on the documentary. There will be those that dismiss this as a piece of royal propaganda at a time when they could really use some good press. To this I would say: so, what?

I did not watch this documentary expecting to change the way I feel about the William or any of the royals. I watched the documentary because it can provide important insight and highlight issues of immense significance. It is important to recognise that you do not have to agree with everything about a person or institution to be able to listen to them or to acknowledge that they are capable of doing good work. William’s work on this documentary is a good example of that.

The documentary does not simply follow him around the UK while he tells people how much a saviour he is or how he will be the one who can solve the worst homelessness crisis in living memory.

The work of real-life heroes like Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Chief Fire Officer of Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is given significant airtime. As somebody who experienced homelessness, her viewpoint on what needs to be done to help the plight of many is highlighted, and William acknowledged that people who have experienced it were uniquely qualified to be able to help. This is one of many examples in the show. The work of The Salvation Army in Cardiff, as well as youth agencies across the country were also celebrated.

In setting up Homewards, we are told that William aims to gain the support of private rental landlords as well as large commercial partners to work alongside the biggest charities in the sector. This proposal was backed by John Bird, co-founder of The Big Issue, who said the “failed thinking” of the divided charities, local councils and advocates needed to be forgotten. He told the Prince of Wales he “didn’t want any bullshit”, which admittedly made me smile. Moreover, the sentiments were echoed by Polly Neate, CEO of Shelter, who said that the involvement of the commercial sector is key to incentivising those who can really solve the systemic issue.

To his credit, William also asked good questions. Of course, an element of the programme is performative, as is pretty much anything the royals do, but this also showed he knew what he was talking about. He asked the local workers who make a difference throughout the country what preventative measures could have been in place that could have made a difference to their lives. He also asked about specific shortcomings of the existing system and invited five of the most prominent charities to work together and involved Fara Williams and Gail Porter – two people who have had success and experienced homelessness.

Another area covered was the ease and nuanced reasoning for which people fall into rough sleeping. Big Issue salesman and decade-long rough sleeper Vincent, was interviewed in Cwmbran and his story of watching his mother die in a house fire, leaving him mentally incapable of sleeping indoors was particularly poignant as it showed that there are ways people end up suffering outside of typical assumptions.

Importantly, there are success stories in the documentary which illustrate the view that these people shouldn’t be given up on. The work of The Salvation Army led to Wayne beating his addiction to Class A drugs, having accommodation to sleep in and reuniting his family with his daughter and granddaughter being present in his life again. There are also two examples in the second episode which focuses on youth homelessness.

In addition to the stories surrounding the people in the show, there are also tangible successes. According to ITVx it is directly as a result of the Prince’s involvement, nevertheless, Sheffield landlords provided 33 homes for families suffering from housing insecurity and over 200 organisations have joined the Homewards campaign, including Pret A Manger. Significantly, William himself is developing a sustainable and commercially viable project on his own land in Nansledan, which will provide 24 homes with expected tenancies between 18-24 months, with other projects planned at all of the previously mentioned locations. He says he hopes it provides a blueprint for others and remove excuses for businesses not the fix the problem.

I am not saying it was all rosy. The optics weren’t always the best, notably inviting formerly homeless people to Windsor Castle with panned shots of armed guards and perfectly kept lawns and various Range Rover exits that honestly could have been omitted.

My fundamental takeaway was that the real issues of homelessness were discussed. The ways people end up sleeping rough and the misunderstood notions of the problem were repeatedly highlighted and debunked. Most importantly, the documentary has got people talking. It has raised awareness. Would he have ever agreed to take part in a project that didn’t make him look good? No, he wouldn’t. Like I said, who cares? If it raises awareness, brings in commercial investment and commitment, I don’t think it particularly matters whether he’s privileged or not.