^ That's not necessarily correct, CAS.
When financial institutions say 'First-Time Buyers' they usually mean just that; not just folks who have cash, no mortgage to transfer, etc.
Mrs JtH bought her own property before we met and then sold it to come and live with me.
Several years later, when we were looking to buy our own place, the FTB sweetners were not available to us.............
Most shared ownership schemes give priorities to first time buyers but will also consider people in your friends situation, depending on demand. What they will not to is sell to someone who already has a property or name on a mortgage so he will need to extricate himself from the current property before embarking on shared ownership, so he may need to rent for a while. The local council is the first port of call as most deal with shared ownership schemes on behalf of local housing associations. In some areas there is one particular housing association who co-ordinates shared ownership so he may have to be registered with both to be eligible.