Last week, we were delighted to host The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to visit our innovative modular homes which first opened in 2020. This marked 10 years since their last visit to Jimmy’s in 2012 to officially open our new building on East Road.
These homes, which saw Cambridge as the first city in the UK to explore this innovative solution to tackling homelessness, provide small self-contained independent accommodation for those seeking to continue their journey onto full independent living.
Their Royal Highnesses spent time meeting our staff and residents, before sitting down with the partners involved in the project to discuss the life changing impact it has had on people on their journey through homelessness.
The fact that they chose us as one of the charities they wanted to visit means a lot to everyone at Jimmy’s, because it shows they’re interested in how you resolve homelessness, they’re interested in what support works best for people who end up homeless and how to get them out of that quickly or how to prevent it.
Eamonn, one of our residents who spent time meeting with the pair, had this to say (on the visit), “they were interested in you as a person, not your past or your future, you just can’t get any better than those two people. It’s them, Matt, Zoe, it’s everyone from Jimmy’s who has made it possible for me to be where I am today.”
The visit also celebrates the immense generosity and sense of community spirit in Cambridge and beyond. This project, and our work, has only been made possible due to the significant support we receive from the entire Cambridge community – whether it be children selling cakes at the weekend on its behalf, those donating pots and pans for residents to fundraising undertaken by local businesses, individuals, and community groups. Thank you!
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visiting Jimmy’s in 2012.