Prince William follows mother Diana’s footsteps to tackle homelessness in UK

London: Britain’s Prince William on Monday launched a major five-year campaign to tackle homelessness in the country, following in the footsteps of his late mother – Diana, Princess of Wales.

William, the Prince of Wales, is using his charitable Royal Foundation to provide GBP 3 million of start-up funding for a locally-led programme to make homelessness “rare, brief, and unrepeated”.

The 41-year-old heir to the British throne launched Homewards in south London as one of six flagship locations to get new space and tools to prevent and end homelessness in these areas as a template for wider impact.

“My first visit to a homelessness shelter was when I was 11 with my mother. The visits we made left a deep and lasting impression,” said William in his speech.

“I am pleased to stand here today officially at the start of our path to ending homelessness. Over the next five years, I believe that we have a unique opportunity to develop innovative new solutions and scale tangible impact. This will inspire belief throughout the UK – and beyond – that homelessness can be ended for good,” he said.

“Through Homewards, we will demonstrate that together we can finally end homelessness,” he declared.

There are believed to be more than 300,000 people currently homeless across the UK, which includes those who are stuck in hostels and temporary accommodation, living in cars and sofa-surfing – or those without a proper base, as well as people who are rough sleeping.

With his new initiative, William aims to change attitudes and show how many people can be affected. Recently, he opened an affordable housing project for young people with jobs but who still needed help with accommodation.

Kensington Palace said Prince William's plan is to bring together local coalitions of housing experts, charities and private industry to develop housing projects and support services, addressing different ways that homelessness occurs, whether in big cities or coastal towns.

“Homewards will take a transformative approach to the issue of homelessness and put collaboration at its heart, giving six flagship locations new space, tools, and relationships to showcase what can be achieved through a collective effort focused on preventing and ending homelessness in their areas,” the palace said.

William will embark on a two-day whistlestop tour of the UK, revealing the locations for his new initiative, which is backed by homeless charities such as Shelter, Centrepoint, Crisis and The Passage.