I’m proud of Newport’s efforts to prevent homelessness

When I was 15, I experienced street homelessness in Newport for the first time. I would sleep in shop doorways, derelict buildings, anywhere I could find. I continued to go into school as if nothing had changed and studied for my GCSEs without a roof over my head.

Fast forward over 20 years, and I finally felt comfortable talking about my experience and I want to be part of the drive to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated.

That’s why I became an Advocate for Homewards, a five-year programme created by Prince William and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, that aims to demonstrate that it’s possible to end homelessness.

I am so proud that Newport also wanted to be a part of this. It’s amazing to see so many organisations and individuals come together to make a difference and look at what systemic change we can make so that we prevent more people experiencing homelessness in the future.

We know so much more about homelessness now, and even back then, I wasn’t aware of the support that was available as homelessness had such a stigma around it.

There is such a misunderstanding around why people experience homelessness, and as a teenager who just wanted to escape a difficult home life, this was very apparent. I received awful treatment from people who saw me on the streets, from verbal abuse to physical assault.

I think it can be easy to forget that when we walk past someone on the street or hear of someone in a hostel or temporary accommodation, that they are a person, who due to so many different circumstances, have been left with little to no support.

This week, I am part of a documentary that will be shown on ITV1. It’s called Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, and it follows the first year of the Homewards programme. It aims to change the narrative around homelessness and shine a light on the many complexities as to why people experience homelessness.

By talking about the issue more and more, we can find solutions together. We can share what’s working and encourage people to seek help at earlier points so that they never have to experience what I went through.

Homelessness is something that can take months and, in my case, years to recover from. By talking about it more and with Newport leading the way in showing what can be done when we all work as one, then I feel confident that homelessness can be ended.

Sabrina Cohen-Hatton is an advocate for Homewards. For more information on Homewards visit: www.Homewards.org.uk

Prince William: We Can End Homelessness is available on ITVX.