Prince William and Kate strike £50m deal with Lloyds Banking Group in major coup for The Royal Foundation
Prince William and Princess Kate’s Royal Foundation has struck a £50m deal with Lloyds Banking Group to support Homewards in a major coup for the couple’s initiative.
Lloyds Banking Group has announced a partnership with Homewards, Prince William’s programme aimed at tackling homelessness across the UK.
The banking group will provide £50 million in new lending to support small and medium-sized housing providers and charities.
This funding will help deliver more homes for people experiencing homelessness, including properties with wrap-around support services.
As the UK’s biggest commercial supporter to the social housing sector, Lloyds aims to break down barriers that currently prevent smaller organisations from accessing finance for housing projects.
The initiative will focus on six flagship Homewards locations: Aberdeen, Bournemouth Christchurch & Poole, Lambeth, Newport, Northern Ireland and Sheffield.
The partnership will bring together local and regional government, not-for-profits and financial institutions across these locations.
This collaborative approach aims to identify key needs and potential providers in each area.
A clear pathway for financial support will be created, including dedicated expertise alongside the new funding.
Lloyds Banking Group will continue their support to housing in the Liverpool City Region as part of the initiative.
The bank will work directly with Homewards locations to identify specific areas of need and deploy financing effectively.
The funding will unlock more homes for models such as Housing First, providing accommodation with wrap-around support for those most in need.
The pioneering partnership ensures organisations will receive support to become investment-ready alongside the new lending.
For many recipients, this will be their first time accessing this type of funding.
Lloyds Banking Group will provide expertise to help organisations build, develop, or refurbish homes.
Some of these properties will be specifically designed for people with additional needs.
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The bank’s support will be particularly valuable for organisations that have previously faced barriers to investment.
This approach aims to create sustainable housing solutions by ensuring providers have both the financial resources and knowledge needed to deliver effective projects.
Bournemouth Churches Housing Association (BCHA) is one example of an organisation that will benefit from this partnership.
BCHA manages nearly 1,500 houses, including supported housing across the South West and South of England.
The housing association helps individuals and families facing various challenges.
Lloyds Banking Group’s support has already enabled BCHA to expand its services in the region.
This expansion has helped people facing homelessness, human trafficking, slavery, domestic abuse, and mental health challenges.
As a Homewards coalition partner, BCHA will now have increased access to funding to further develop its vital housing provision.
Pim Gregory, Executive Director for Homelessness at The Royal Foundation, said: “Supporting the Homewards locations to access the funding, skills and expertise needed to deliver homes is an essential part of our mission to demonstrate it is possible to end homelessness.”
“We are thrilled that Lloyds Banking Group will become a Homewards Activator, delivering new funding and investment readiness support to organisations in our Homewards locations.”
Gregory added that Homewards looks forward to working with other financial institutions to “catalyse more homes to help make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated.”