Prince William will visit Sheffield tomorrow to mark the second anniversary of his Homewards initiative to end homelessness, choosing a date that would have been Princess Diana's 64th birthday.
The Prince of Wales will highlight the programme's progress across six UK pilot areas, where more than 100 projects are now underway. The initiative aims to make homelessness "rare, brief and unrepeated" across the participating regions.
The cause holds deep personal significance for William, who was taken to homeless shelters as a child by his mother. Diana's compassion and advocacy inspired his continued work with organisations she once supported, including Centrepoint and The Passage.
The visit comes as Homewards enters what William describes as "delivery mode" following two years of building foundations and networks.
Prince William will visit Sheffield tomorrow to mark the second anniversary of his Homewards initiative to end homelessness, choosing a date that would have been Princess Diana's 64th birthday.
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One of the most significant achievements has been securing more than £40 million in financing from Lloyds Bank to support housing development across the six regions. Homewards has described this investment as a "groundbreaking moment" that could inspire other institutions to unlock new funding streams for affordable homes.
The pilot areas include Sheffield, Newport in South Wales, Aberdeen in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and Lambeth in London. Each location has developed locally tailored solutions to address homelessness in their communities.
Lydia Stazen, former Executive Director of the Institute of Global Homelessness and a member of the Homewards National Expert Panel, said the initiative is "exactly where I would expect the program to be at this point."
"The networks have been built, the foundations have been laid and we are seeing really concrete outcomes," she added.
The Prince of Wales will highlight the programme's progress across six UK pilot areas, where more than 100 projects are now underway.
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Ahead of his visit, Prince William released an open letter to the six participating regions commending their progress and urging continued momentum.
"Your experiences are what makes Homewards unique and powerful," William wrote. "We have the ability to harness our collective capabilities, expertise, and resources towards this common cause. I am immensely proud to say that your collective effort has already allowed us to achieve lasting impact."
The prince expressed confidence that they could "lead and inspire understanding, empathy and optimism that homelessness can be ended."
He noted that each location had identified groups particularly at risk of homelessness to drive targeted solutions. "While visiting the six locations, I have been inspired by the motivation, creativity, and expertise that is embodied in each location and the tangible difference you are making for some of society's most vulnerable," he added.
"Keep going!" he signed off.
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Prince William will begin by meeting representatives from the six UK regions piloting locally tailored solutions through Homewards.
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During tomorrow's visit, Prince William will begin by meeting representatives from the six UK regions piloting locally tailored solutions through Homewards.
He will then visit a Sheffield school to observe a new early intervention model called "Upstream", which identifies young people at risk of homelessness and provides targeted support. The programme draws inspiration from Australia's Geelong Project, which achieved a 40% reduction in youth homelessness and a 20% decrease in early school leavers.
William will also celebrate a major milestone as the first residents move into Sheffield's Innovative Housing Project.
Stazen noted that Homewards arrived at a crucial time for the sector, when burnout among frontline workers and executives was "extremely high" following the COVID pandemic. "Homewards was perfectly timed to bring in that fresh energy and bring in some new partners and resources," she said.
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