Dominic Lipinski/Getty On Tuesday, July 1, Prince William marked the two-year milestone of his homelessness initiative, Homewards. The visit coincided with what would have been the 64th birthday of his late mother, Princess Diana — whose compassion inspired his commitment. William's mission: to make homelessness "rare, brief, and unrepeated" On what would have beenPrincess Diana's 64th birthday,Prince Williamis honoring her legacy in a powerful way. The Prince of Wales, 43, spent Tuesday, July 1, in Sheffield celebrating the two-year anniversary ofHomewards— his ambitious initiative to help end homelessness, a cause that was also close to his late mother's heart. At the Homewards: Delivering Change Together event, William met with representatives from the six pilot regions — Sheffield, Newport, Aberdeen, Northern Ireland, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and Lambeth — who are leading innovative, locally driven efforts to tackle homelessness. The daylong gathering featured workshops, expert panels and the chance for teams on the frontlines to share ideas and strategies as they work to create lasting change across the U.K. Dominic Lipinski/Getty He also joined former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Homewardsadvocate Steven Bartlett for a panel discussion. Brown founded Multibank — a key Homewards partner — which connects businesses with surplus goods, like toiletries, baby supplies and bedding, to charities and social workers who distribute them to families in need. Later, William met with individuals who have experienced homelessness firsthand and are now helping to shape the evolving direction of Homewards, bringing vital insight and lived experience to the initiative. Homewards, as Prince William puts it,aims to make homelessness "rare, brief and unrepeated."His commitment to the cause is deeply personal — shaped by the example of his late mother, Princess Diana, who brought him and his brotherPrince Harry, 40, to shelters and charity centers from a young age. In 2005, shortly after graduating from the University of St. Andrews, William became a patron ofCentrepoint, one of the homeless charities Diana had long supported. In 2009, he spent a night sleeping rough on the streets of London to deepen his understanding of the issue. He later added another of his mother's causes,The Passage, to his roster of patronages — continuing her legacy through action. Dominic Lipinski/Getty For the second part of his morning in Sheffield, Prince William visited Meadowhead Secondary School, where a pioneering early intervention program called Upstream is being piloted. The initiative uses a student survey to identify young people at greater risk of homelessness and connect them — and their families — with the support they need. Modeled on a successful Australian program, Upstream aims to address the root causes of homelessness before they take hold. Ahead of his visit to Sheffield, Prince William released an open letter to the six participating program areas, praising their progress and noting that the initiative is now firmly in "delivery mode" as it approaches the end of its second year. "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." "I am confident we can lead and inspire understanding, empathy and optimism that homelessness can be ended," he continued. "Focus is also important, and you have identified the groups particularly at risk of homelessness in your locations to drive solutions that show it is possible to prevent their homelessness." Assessing Homewards' progress, Lydia Stazen — former Executive Director of the Institute of Global Homelessness and a member of the Homewards National Expert Panel — said, "The networks have been built, the foundations have been laid and we are seeing really concrete outcomes." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! She adds that the initiative came at exactly the right time for the sector, after the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic. "Homewards was perfectly timed to bring in that fresh energy and bring in some new partners and resources, which was so desperately needed at that point." "I think it is why Homewards has been able to get where it's got in two years because there is that excitement and leadership — and that comes [in the Prince's case] from a really heartfelt place," she says. Read the original article onPeople
