Prince William to Honour Princess Diana’s 64th Birthday with Homewards Milestone
On July 1, which would have been Princess Diana’s 64th birthday, Prince William will shine a spotlight on the progress of his homelessness initiative, Homewards. Launched in mid‑2023, Homewards seeks to make homelessness “rare, brief and unrepeated”—a mission inspired by Diana’s lifelong compassion for those without homes.
A Targeted Pilots Campaign
William plans to visit Sheffield, one of six pilot regions across the UK—alongside Newport, Aberdeen, Northern Ireland, Bournemouth-Christchurch-Poole, and Lambeth. Over the past two years, the initiative has launched more than 100 local projects and secured US $50 million in funding from Lloyds Bank to scale up affordable housing efforts.
In a heartfelt open letter to all six regions, the Prince praised their efforts, stating:
“Your experiences are what makes Homewards unique and powerful… I am immensely proud to say that your collective effort has already allowed us to achieve lasting impact.”
He urged participants to continue building on this “delivery mode” momentum, adding that he’s “confident we can lead and inspire understanding, empathy and optimism that homelessness can be ended”.
Expert Validation
Lydia Stazen, of the Institute of Global Homelessness, affirmed that the foundational networks are in place and yielding tangible results—exactly where the program should be after two years
Polly Neate, formerly of Shelter and Women’s Aid, emphasized that Homewards offers a shift away from crisis response toward prevention, and praised William’s leadership in making the mission feel both urgent and possible
On the Ground in Sheffield
During his visit, the Prince will:
1. Meet with regional teams from all pilot areas.
2. Tour a Sheffield school piloting **“Upstream”**, an early intervention initiative based on Australia’s successful Geelong Project—credited with a 40% drop in youth homelessness and 20% fewer school dropouts.
3. Celebrate the first tenants moving into Sheffield’s newly opened Innovative Housing Project, a concrete outcome from Homewards’ investments
A Legacy of Compassion
William’s commitment flows directly from Diana’s legacy. As a child, he accompanied her to shelters and later became patron of organizations she supported, including Centrepoint and The Passage. His goal is to carry forward her belief that everyone deserves a place to call home
