HomeLife Partnership Launches Homelessness Prevention Programme in Newport
May 13, 2025
In response to the rising number of people being forced into homelessness and rough sleeping in Newport, Housing Justice, Barnardo’s and Pobl Group, yesterday launched the HomeLife Partnership at The Hive in Newport.
HomeLife has been funded by Homewards, The Royal Foundation and Prince William’s programme which aims to demonstrate it is possible to end homelessness. Homelife will run support services in Newport for 12 months to address the growing need in the area and aims to identify people at risk of homelessness and provide tailored, early intervention through community-based services to reduce the number of people at crisis point needing access to more intensive services. The HomeLife Partners are all members of the Homewards Newport Coalition, a group of committed organisations in the area working with The Royal Foundation and Homewards to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated.
HomeLife will provide support to adults and children at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Newport in three different ways:
- Housing Justice is launching its acclaimed volunteer-led ‘Citadel’ homelessness prevention, community integration and tenancy sustainment programme in the area. Citadel has been highly successful in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Wrexham, with 95% of people supported by the project remaining in their new home after a period of homelessness and a 94% engagement rate since April 2023.
- Barnardo’s will be running workshops for families from The Hive in Newport. These are based on Barnardo’s Family Hub model for families who are living in temporary accommodation in the city and for those who may be at risk of homelessness. At The Hive, Barnardo’s will provide a safe comfortable space, where children can play and do homework, where families can cook meals and do their laundry, replicating ‘homelife’. The Hive provides the opportunity to just chat and have a cuppa, build trusting relationships with staff and who provide bespoke support. Barnardo’s aspires to meet objectives from the Child Poverty Strategy for Wales, working with partners to develop pathways out of poverty, including support with digital inclusion, cooking sessions and activities for children.
- Pobl is providing The Hive as a safe, attractive and welcoming community space where Barnardo’s can run their workshops, and where people experiencing or at risk of homelessness can access laundry and cooking facilities, internet access, the Housing Advice Hub, and other care and support services.
Local dignitaries, partners, supporters and potential volunteers, gathered at The Hive yesterday to hear presentations from the partners and to celebrate the launch of this much-needed partnership.
Helen Roper, Local Delivery Lead for Homewards Newport said:
“We are excited to see the launch of the HomeLife project in Newport. Homewards’ aim is to demonstrate it’s possible to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated, and the launch of this project is a huge step towards making that aim a reality in Newport. We are very grateful to be working with so many brilliant partners in Newport and great to see the partnership of Housing Justice, Pobl Group and Barnardo’s come to life.”
George Butler, Housing Justice’s Head of Citadel, was among those at the event:
“We are delighted to be launching Citadel as part of the HomeLife partnership today, and are very much looking forward to working with Barnardo’s and Pobl on this groundbreaking project over the next year.
“Citadel is not like other initiatives to end homelessness. We believe that communities themselves can, and do, play an integral role in ending homelessness and housing insecurity. I am delighted that our work in Newport will be located in the heart of the community at Pobl’s incredible community centre, The Hive, and that by working in partnership with Barnardo’s we can support the widest range of people facing homelessness in the area. Support from Citadel volunteers takes many forms – it could be support with decorating and furnishing a home, joining a social club or community group, managing bills and budgeting, or just having a cup of coffee and a chat – it all depends on the individual, and our wonderful volunteers! So please do get in touch here if you would like to be involved.”
Maria Jones, Children’s Services Manager at Barnardo’s said:
“Barnardo’s has been piloting HomeLife in Newport with funding from Newport City Council for six months. We are delighted to a be part of the new HomeLife Partnership and the opportunity it presents to upscale this work. We are really looking forward to working closely with more children and families in Newport who will be supported by the service. Sadly, too many of our workers tell us of the heartbreak they see when families are struggling and either experiencing, or at risk of, homeless. We are confident that this new partnership will make a life-changing difference for those who are most in need.”
Samantha Howells, Area Regeneration Manager, Pobl Group, said:
“Pobl is proud to partner with Housing Justice Cymru and Barnardo’s on this important initiative, strengthening our collective ability to offer support to families and individuals facing housing challenges in Newport.
“The Group has previously collaborated successfully with both organisations and shares a common approach to tackling both the issue of homelessness and the causes. We are committed to creating lasting change and fostering a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and stable home.”
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For further information or to arrange an interview, please email Jo on [email protected]
Note to Editors
The HomeLife Partnership comprises Housing Justice, Barnardo’s and Pobl, with funding from the Homewards Foundation.
Housing Justice is a small, highly influential national charity working to alleviate homelessness in all its forms. Our work makes a huge difference to thousands of people who stay at night shelters across the country; refugees being given a safe place to sleep within people’s homes; those who are supported by our trained volunteers to find and sustain a home; and those who are helped in some other way by our churches, faith and community groups, and their volunteers.
Homewards is 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 is possible to end homelessness- making it rare, brief, and unrepeated. It will support Homewards’ six flagship locations (Aberdeen; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Lambeth; Newport; Northern Ireland; Sheffield) alongside organisations from a range of sectors who are contributing skills, resources and investment to support the locations to deliver solutions.
The Homewards Fund offers up to £500,000 of flexible funding that can be accessed by each flagship location across the lifespan of the programme to support the delivery of their Local Action Plan. The funding forms a key part of the offer to the six flagship locations and will enable the delivery of the Homewards Local Action Plans, whether that’s helping to build additional capacity or provide resources to support the delivery of projects which will unlock and test transformative solutions to the issue of homelessness.
About Barnardo’s: At Barnardo’s, our purpose is clear – changing childhoods and changing lives, so that children, young people, and families are safe, happy, healthy, and hopeful. Last year, we provided essential support to 373,200 children, young people, parents and carers through more than 800 services and partnerships across the UK. For over 150 years, we’ve been here for the children and young people who need us most – bringing love, care and hope into their lives and giving them a place where they feel they belong. www.barnardos.org.uk
Pobl Group is a not-for-profit organisation operating across Wales, the Group has extensive expertise in placemaking, integrating a variety of affordable and market housing solutions. Following the successful merger between Linc Cymru and Pobl Group in 2024 the Group now manages over 24,000 homes, with ambitious plans to deliver more than 4,500 new homes across the next five years, and provides care and support to almost 17,000 individuals. Employing more than 3,000 people, Pobl is a major contributor to the Welsh economy. For more information, please visit our website: www.poblgroup.co.uk