Prince William is striving to making good on his promise to end homelessness in the United Kingdom. It’s been about eight months since the heir to the British throne launched Homewards, his ambitious plan to guarantee housing for all in the United Kingdom. He announced the rollout for the first project in the five-year plan on Sunday, per People.
24 homes will reportedly be built in the Duchy of Cornwall, the royal’s own estate, which was established in 1337 by Edward III for his son, Prince Edward. Each subsequent Duke of Cornwall was to be the “eldest surviving son of the Monarch and the heir to the throne.” Currently, the property spans 129,604 acres across 20 counties on the southwestern tip of England, with a year-round population of 22,000 that swells to 100,000 during the summer. The total cost of the 24 houses is estimated at $4 million (£3 million). Construction is set to begin this September is scheduled to be completed by fall of 2025.
William plans to collaborate with local stakeholders in order to meet the individual needs of each community where the project will be implemented. St Petrocs, a charitable organization focused on addressing homelessness in Cornwall, is the initiative’s partner. In addition to providing the land for the undertaking, William and the Duchy will also contribute the design and development management talent.
“It’s a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together, it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief, and unrepeated,” William said back in June of 2023.
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The late Princess Diana, known for her empathy to the plight of the unhoused, took William and his brother Harry, Duke of Sussex, to visit homeless shelters when they were children; apparently, the issue has remained close to her eldest son’s heart ever since. “I met so many extraordinary people and listened to so many heartbreaking personal stories,” William said, per an AP News report last summer. In 2009, the father of three slept on the streets of South London as part of an initiative with another charity focused on homelessness. He’s also been spotted (under the thin disguise of a baseball cap), selling a magazine that supports the unhoused.
