The Prince of Wales is celebrating three years of his homelessness project Homewards today, and in a major speech, said that the initiative has proven that “preventing homelessness is possible”. But while he celebrated the achievements of the pilot, launched in six areas across the UK, he said there is still “much more to do”.

“I want us now to redouble our efforts,” William told guests at a special event at the Tate Modern in London this morning. “To ask for more. To bring more people on this journey. To keep challenging the status quo and prove what is possible when we come together.

“The next two years are about proving that what works in six locations can work across the country. Because if homelessness can be prevented here, it can be prevented anywhere. And together, one day, we can make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated.

“That is the challenge we set ourselves three years ago. Today, we can see the path to achieving it.”

In his speech, the Prince highlighted how testing new approaches across its six locations is already helping people access stable homes, jobs, and support before they reach a crisis point.

The Prince said: “Homelessness is not an individual failure; it is a systemic failure. And, if systems help create the problem, then systems can help prevent it. By trialling new approaches, Homewards is demonstrating how prevention can be embedded across every part of our society. Proving that our true strength emerges not in isolation, but in a shared purpose that makes us greater than the sum of our parts.”

Three years into Homewards, more than 2400 people are now being supported so that homelessness never becomes part of their lives. There are more than 70 individuals and families in stable homes and over 250 people supported into employment.

These results stem from a deliberate shift towards prevention, expanding the frontline of support beyond traditional services and working with schools, employers, and healthcare professionals to enable them to step in sooner.

William hailed the private sector for “stepping up” and helping to prevent homelessness, praising Lloyds Banking Group for committing £50 million to support the delivery of homes and other businesses for committing £2.3 million of essential furniture and household goods to furnish Homewards homes.

The prince opened his speech by reflecting on his visits to homeless shelters as a child, when his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, brought him and his brother to learn about the issue.

He said: “As I visited homelessness shelters and charities from an early age, I saw the tireless work being done on the frontlines – fighting to feed, house, and care for people who had reached their lowest point.

“Since then, I have met countless individuals affected by this crisis. In every conversation, it is clear – there is no single cause of homelessness.

“Each of their lives might have taken very different paths had the right support been available at critical moments. Had help arrived earlier.”