Royal opens vulnerable people shelter

His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, officially opened on Monday, September 27 the Homer House in Lincoln.

The Monson Street building had been refurbished recently to house vulnerable young people wanting to gain independent living skills for the future.

Running over an hour late, Price Edward had a tour of the building and spoke to some of the clients and people involved in the project.

“You are very much at the vanguard of the sort of service that should be out there for more people, in more parts of the country,” said Prince Edward.

“I hope more people take note of this, so congratulations to all of you,” he added.

Homer House cost £3 million to revamp, and it’s the first building of its kind in Lincolnshire, housing 18 vulnerable young people aged 16 to 25.

The building has been funded through Futurebuilders England and a grant through the Social Enterprise Investment Fund.

The accommodation and support is provided by Lincolnshire Employment Accommodation Project (LEAP) since July 2010.

Some of the Homer House clients mingled with the guests at the opening reception.

The facilities for people housed at Homer House include an activity area, training kitchen, ICT suite, meeting rooms as well as staff office space.

Each client of Homer House receives their own designated support worker to help them achieve independent living and achieve their personal goals.

LEAP also runs ordinary houses on ordinary streets, where 3-4 vulnerable young people are guided toward independent living.

— More photo highlights from the ceremony on our Facebook page.