The Queen has heard personal stories from people who have overcome homelessness – as the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to “end rough sleeping” in his maiden speech.
Camilla was carrying out a visit on Monday to Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney, a charity which offers opportunities and support to people experiencing homelessness, as the handover of political power was taking place in London.
The Queen’s long-standing engagement saw her tour Emmaus’s centre for women, which opened in the village of Ditchingham in rural Norfolk last year.
Meanwhile, Mr Burnham, who had an audience with the King at Buckingham Palace and accepted his invitation to form a Government, made tackling homelessness his first official policy announcement as prime minister in a speech outside Downing Street.
Camilla met residents – known as companions – who have experienced homelessness and heard about the tailored support offered by Emmaus for trauma recovery and to help residents to thrive.
The centre has a new partnership with Camilla’s literary charity The Queen’s Reading Room, and has created a Book Nook, an area specially curated by companions who have a particular passion for reading.
The Queen, who is marking her 20th anniversary as Emmaus’s patron, was greeted by former Beirut hostage Sir Terry Waite, who is president of Emmaus UK.
She also visited the on-site charity shop and social enterprise, where items, including jewellery made by the companions in the centre’s working forge, are sold.
Heir to the throne the Prince of Wales launched his Homewards initiative in 2023 – a five-year project aimed at making homelessness “rare, brief and unrepeated”.
Homewards works in six locations – Newport, Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen, Sheffield and the three neighbouring Dorset towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch – with the aim of delivering bespoke solutions to homelessness issues in each area.
In further details set out by No 10, Mr Burnham has pledged £340 million in funding to help at least 3,000 rough sleepers on his first day in the job.
