Prince William continues his impassioned drive to end homelessness by launching a ground-breaking art exhibition to challenge the nation’s perceptions on the social issue.
Prince William’s Homewards programme, which celebrated its first anniversary earlier this summer, has teamed up with the Eleven Eleven Foundation and London’s Saatchi Gallery – which is hosting the exhibition titled ‘Homelessness Reframed’ for six weeks.
Opening to the public for the first time tomorrow, the exhibition aims to showcase stories of hope and opportunity and move away from the images that are so often associated with rough sleeping, those of people wrapped up in sleeping bags on the streets.
The groundbreaking exhibition utilises the power of art to help improve the nation’s understanding of homelessness and inspire optimism that it can be ended – with many of the artists having experienced rough sleeping themselves.
“The Prince also wanted the project to generate new imagery around the topic of homelessness,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said.
“Far too often the images we see of homelessness are of people rough sleeping, failing to reflect that this is just one of the many different types of homelessness that people can experience.”
They added: “His Royal Highness has long been passionate about helping the public to see the people behind the homelessness crisis, spotlighting positive stories and generating optimism that this is an issue that can be prevented and ended if we all play our part.”
William is due to visit the gallery in due course.
Lorna Tucker, a consultant for the exhibition who has herself experienced homelessness, heaped praise on the royal’s Homewards Project and said: “It gives me hope. We have King Charles and Prince William, who are so socially conscious. It’s a Royal Family that really understands the communities they are there to serve, and that for me is the biggest hope.
“The fact he’s supporting this and putting his energy into ending homelessness… that’s never happened before. When you’ve got a member of the Royal Family saying: “I’m going to dedicate my life to ending homelessness,’ we’re in a good place.”
Artists from the UK and beyond have contributed to the exhibition, many of whom have experienced homelessness themselves.
Robi Walters recalled his harrowing experience of growing up in care and serving his own “life sentence” after his three-year-old brother died in a house fire while the pair were locked in the building alone.
The artist, who was just five at the time of the blaze, said he spent the next 23 years blaming himself for his brother’s death and hadn’t opened up about his experiences of growing up in care until he attended a Landmark Forum at the age of 28.
