THE Prince of Wales has chosen Newport as one of six target areas where he hopes to make homelessness a thing of the past.

His new Homewards programme will give the city "new space, tools and relationships" to combat homelessness, which new figures suggest has affected one in five Britons in some shape or form.

"In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe and secure home, be treated with dignity and given the support they need," Prince William said. "Through Homewards, I want to make this a reality and over the next five years, give people across the UK hope that homelessness can be prevented when we collaborate."

The prince's commitment to eradicating homelessness follows on from his mother's own charity work.

Diana, the late Princess of Wales, took her sons to a homeless charity when they were schoolboys and, speaking on Monday, William said the visit "left a deep and lasting impression".

"I met so many extraordinary people and listened to so many heart-breaking personal stories," he added. "Too many people have found themselves without a stable and permanent place to call home.

"Through these visits, I have seen first-hand the breadth and complexities of homelessness."

Now, William has set his sights on making rough sleeping, sofa surfing and other forms of temporary accommodation a thing of the past. His Homewards initiative will try to emulate Finland, where the problem has been virtually eradicated.

South Wales Argus: Prince William in Lambeth, the first stop on his UK tour to launch Homewards in six locations including Newport.Prince William in Lambeth, the first stop on his UK tour to launch Homewards in six locations including Newport. (Image: Chris Jackson/PA Wire)

It means Newport and five other target areas - all selected after a bidding process - will receive up to £500,000 funding over the course of the five-year project.

At each location, Homewards will form "locally-led coalitions of committed individuals, organisations, and businesses who will work together to create and deliver a tailored plan to prevent homelessness in their areas – based on local needs and local expertise".

Homes will be a focus of the programme. Newport and the five other target locations will be supported to build an "innovative housing project that will test new ways to unlock homes at scale within the location and beyond".

It is hoped that Homewards' impact will go beyond the six locations, and results and findings from each location will be used to create a "flexible, tried, and tested model that can be adopted by other areas in the UK and internationally".

William, who is also a patron of the homelessness charities Centrepoint and The Passage, began a two-day tour of the UK on Monday to launch his Homewards project.

He said: "I am fortunate to have seen first-hand the tireless work of people and organisations across the sector, the tangible impact their efforts can have and what can be done when communities are able to focus on preventing homelessness, rather than managing it.

"It’s a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief, and unrepeated, and I am very much looking forward to working with our six locations to make our ambition a reality."