The Prince of Wales, speaking at the Tate Modern on Tuesday (30 June), is expected to say: “Homelessness is not an individual failure, it is a systemic failure. And if systems help create the problem, 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.
“The next two years are about proving that what works in six locations can work across the country.”
Homewards’ third year has seen the project join forces with more household names and major organisations to address furniture poverty.
The number of households living in temporary accommodation is at its highest since records began, with 134,210 households living in temporary housing in England as of the end of 2025.
Many people who are in temporary accommodation and social housing face moving into the space with zero to little furniture.
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Homewards is setting out to tackle the issue with a £2.3 million partnership bringing repurposed furniture to those in social housing.
Prince William’s initiative has brought together The Multibank, B&Q, Bosch Home Appliances, DFS Group, Howdens and IKEA to furnish 42 homes so far, with a target of 250 by the end of the programme.
Homewards has also focused on employment.
The initiative launched the New Employability Opportunities Network (NEON) in December 2025. The aim was to bring together major employers, local businesses, and frontline partners to open up job opportunities for people who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness.
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Hazel Detsiny, executive director of Homewards at The Royal Foundation, said Homewards’ ultimate goal is to change how the wider public approaches homelessness.
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“We are a collaborating organisation, we pass on the things that work and don’t work. We want to create a long-term, sustainable model,” said Detsiny.
“How will we know if it worked – at the end of five years, if we start to change the culture, people in society act and work differently, then that will be part of the long-term change, changing the narrative to drive sustainability.”
Prince William’s programme is continuing to focus on preventing homelessness with its third anniversary coming as Andy Burnham called for a “decisive shift to a more preventative, productive state” in addressing homelessness and the housing crisis.
Dr Peter Mackie, executive director of the Institute of Global Homelessness and a member of Homewards’ national expert panel, said the programme has already demonstrated the power of prevention.
“What we are seeing through Homewards reflects a growing international understanding that homelessness can be prevented when systems work together more effectively to ensure we have the right homes available, access to a decent income, and the support networks we all need,” said Mackie.
“These early results are important because they show how data, lived experience, and cross-sector action can come together to reduce risk and intervene earlier. The opportunity now is to build on this learning and apply it more widely, with urgency.”
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