The Prince of Wales visited Sheffield today, as he marked the second anniversary of his Homewards programme with a number of engagements.
The visit came a day after Prince William sent a deeply appreciative letter to the local coalitions spearheading his UK-wide initiative to end homelessness.
In a letter to the flagship groups to mark the second year, William thanked them for joining in his mission. He told them “There are now people who are no longer experiencing homelessness thanks to your tremendous efforts” and implored them to keep going.
Homewards was launched in June 2023 by His Royal Highness and The Royal Foundation. It is a five year programme which aims to end homelessness in the UK. The past two years has seen flagship locations pop up in Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Lambeth, Newport, Sheffield, and Northern Ireland – with each location creating a Local Action plan which details the steps they will take towards the overall goal of the programme.
The Prince was joined by former British Prime Minster Gordon Brown, and Homewards Advocate Steven Bartlett for the Homewards: Delivering Change Together event. Steven has regularly accompanied William to Homewards events and engagements since becoming an advocate last year, while Gordon is a founder of Multibank, a Homewards partner.
The event was a daylong one, and featured a number of workshops and panels – one of which saw the three men take to the stage. It gave a chance to all those involved in the flagship locations to come together and discuss ideas. After the panel, The Prince met with individuals who have experienced homelessness firsthand and are now using that experience to help shape the direction of Homewards now and in the years to come.
In his remarks, Prince William highlighted the importance of tackling the root causes of homelessness, including mental health, domestic abuse, and youth vulnerability, emphasising that “homelessness is not just about housing – it’s about people.”
Speaking to The Telegraph, the former British Prime Minister said that the Heir to the Throne had been “very influenced by his mother” on the issue of homelessness, highlighting how his late mother ‘encouraged him to take an interest in why people were on the streets, and why people were homeless, and why people needed a better chance’.
The second visit of the day was to Meadowhead Secondary School for the launch of the Upstream programme. The programme is currently being piloted at the school and uses a student survey to identify which young people would be at a greater risk of homelessness. The programme aims to connect those students, and their families, to the support that they need. The programme is modelled on the Australian Geelong Project.
During the visit to the school, The Prince was joined by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and met with pupils.
It had not been lost on those in the media and the public that today is Princess Diana’s birthday. The Princess herself was an advocate for the homelessness, taking her sons to visit homeless shelters. It has been a project William has taken on in the past 20 years, and no doubt his mother would be very proud.
