Prince William has urged those working on his ambitious drive to end homelessness to ‘Keep going!’ as he described how the initiative had started to ‘shift the dial’ on the ‘mammoth challenge’ needed in Britain.
After two years of laying down the foundations for his five-year project, Homewards, the future king promises it is now in ‘delivery mode’.
Some 100 initiatives are in place across six locations around the UK, and 300 plus homes – a mixture of empty accommodation, private rentals and new builds – are forecast to be delivered through Homewards’ Innovative Housing Projects.
The first residents moved into flats in Aberdeen in March after Homewards brought together a local housing association, high street retailers and others to provide and furnish the property, and the first tenants in Sheffield are moving in this week.
The project has also launched a new early intervention initiative in schools to identify young people most at risk of homelessness and secured £3 million for Homewards locations from partners and coalition members.
This is in addition to £50 million available by Lloyds Banking Group to organisations tackling homelessness through low cost rentals.
In a letter to organisations to mark the anniversary, the prince said: ‘There are now people who are no longer experiencing homelessness thanks to your tremendous efforts. I am immensely proud to say that your collective effort has already allowed us to achieve lasting impact.
‘After a year of convening, our second year has seen Homewards shift into delivery mode.’
In a letter to organisations to mark the anniversary, the prince said: ‘There are now people who are no longer experiencing homelessness thanks to your tremendous efforts’
he Prince of Wales with Homewards Advocate Gail Porter, as they meet with a resident who is moving into one of 31 newly furnished homes in Aberdeen as part of The Royal Foundation’s Homewards programme
The Prince of Wales has urged those working on his ambitious drive to end homelessness to ‘Keep going!’ as he described how the initiative had started to ‘shift the dial’ on the ‘mammoth challenge’
He added: ‘Together, we are demonstrating tangible impact. I know this is a mammoth challenge and change won’t come overnight, but over the past year we’ve started to shift the dial and there are now people who are no longer experiencing homelessness thanks to your tremendous efforts.’
William has long been inspired to afford change after being taken to shelters by his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, when he was a child.
He described how creating long-term change was ‘complex and unpredictable’, however he added: ‘But I am confident we can lead and inspire understanding, empathy and optimism that homelessness can be ended.’ The prince ended his letter by signing it in his own handwriting: ‘Keep going! William’.
The prince will travel to Sheffield on Tuesday to see some of the work in action himself.
He launched his Homewards programme, which aims to develop a blueprint for eradicating homelessness in all its forms, ‘making it rare, brief and unrepeated’, in 2023.
Six locations were chosen – Newport in south Wales, Lambeth in south London, Northern Ireland, Aberdeen, Sheffield and the three neighbouring Dorset towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch – with the aim of delivering ‘bespoke’ solutions to the homelessness issues in each area.
Initiatives vary from supporting at risk groups to ensure they do not become homeless in the first place, to freeing up housing through unique public/private partnerships.
The prince is also building low-cost rental on his own Duchy of Cornwall land.
This week, the Prince also delivered a speech during the ‘Investing for Impact’ event at The Guildhall on June 26, 2025 in London
The Prince spoke at the event which acts as an opportunity for potential investors to connect with environmental solutions
William, 43, has been particularly personally keen to highlight the often deep-seated nature of the problem: homelessness doesn’t just mean rough-sleeping, but also thousands of young people and families ‘sofa surfing’ or living in substandard bed and breakfast accommodation.
But it is an issue that often doesn’t get much public or media attention, he says.
Liz Laurence, Homewards’ programme director, said: ‘We’re proud to say, as we head into our third year, that Homewards is the broadest collective effort working to prevent homelessness across the UK.’
Ms Laurence added: ‘We set out with a mission to demonstrate that together it’s possible to end homelessness, and I think we are really confident about where we are… We are starting really to see a difference on the ground.’
Polly Neate, former chief executive of Shelter and now an independent social policy commentator, said: ‘In our wider culture, as a country, we see homelessness as something that is inevitable, that we don’t really understand, that we feel powerless about doing anything about.
‘What Prince William and Homewards are doing, if you want to put it in a nutshell, is tackling that culture straight on and saying ‘This is not inevitable. This is preventable’.’
