A woman who battled her way out of homelessness as a teenager to become a distinguished firefighter and an adviser to the Prince of Wales has been honoured by the King.
Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, chief fire officer with West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, was awarded the King’s Fire Service Medal during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
The medal is awarded for distinguished service or gallantry, and recognises Dr Cohen-Hatton’s work at several key events including the Finsbury Park terror attack, the Westminster Bridge terror attack, and the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.
The 42-year-old is now advising William as part of his Homewards campaign to end homelessness in the UK, and featured in his recent ITV documentary, We Can End Homelessness.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer Sabrina Cohen-Hatton is presented with the King’s Fire Service Medal at Buckingham Palace (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
Speaking on Tuesday, Dr Cohen-Hatton told the PA news agency: “The fire service means a huge amount to me because I feel like, as firefighters, we’re trusted by people to know what to do when they’re having the worst day of their lives.
“And, having gone through that and my service, being able now to advise Prince William as an advocate on Homewards, which is his programme aiming to demonstrate that it’s possible to end homelessness, it’s incredible.
“Because when you go through those experiences, they’re awful. They’re absolutely dreadful.”
After the death of her father, her family sank into poverty, and she became homeless at the age of 15.
When she was just 18, and after years of sleeping rough on the streets, she decided to join the fire service in South Wales, went on to attain a degree in behavioural neuroscience from Cardiff University, and became an honorary professor.
Dr Cohen-Hatton, who also became an ambassador with homelessness charity The Big Issue and credits it with saving her life, said she hopes she can use her experience to “change the narrative, so that people who are in my situation today don’t have to go through that”.
“Homelessness is a really complex issue and the answer to it needs to be equally as multifaceted,” she said.
Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, who advises the Prince of Wales on homelessness, said the issue is becoming a bigger problem today (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
Dr Cohen-Hatton also warned homelessness is becoming a bigger problem today.
“We’re seeing more and more hidden homelessness as well – people staying on other people’s sofas, people sleeping in their cars, not necessarily even registering themselves as experiencing homelessness – so it can be really difficult to understand the numbers.
“What we do know is that it’s a problem that’s growing.
“I honestly believe that the light that the Prince of Wales has been able to shine on this has been an incredible driver, helping us to raise awareness.”
Dr Cohen-Hatton is also a psychologist and writer and an ambassador of Street Vet, which offers veterinary treatment to pets living with their owners on the street.
Her first book, a memoir called Heat Of The Moment, was published in 2019, the year she was a guest on Desert Island Discs.