Prince William honored his late mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 64th birthday. He did this by supporting a cause that was very close to her heart. On July 1, William went to Sheffield to mark two years of his charity, Homewards. This program works to end homelessness in the UK.
At the event, William met with people from six different areas who are helping the homeless in their communities. They shared ideas and talked about what has worked for them.
William also spoke on a panel with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and businessman Steven Bartlett. Brown said Diana encouraged William to care about why people become homeless and how they can be helped. He added that, like Diana changed how people think about AIDS and landmines, William is helping change how people see homelessness.
Before this event, William wrote a letter thanking these six communities for their hard work. He said he was proud of them and believed they could show the world that homelessness can be ended.
Helping homeless people is something William has cared about since he was young. Diana used to take him and his brother Harry to visit shelters. After college, William became a supporter of Centrepoint, a charity that helps the homeless. In 2009, he even spent one night sleeping on the streets to see what it was like.
During his trip, William also went to Meadowhead Secondary School. There, he learned about a program called Upstream. It uses surveys to find students who might be at risk of becoming homeless and connects them with local help. This way, problems can be solved early before they turn into homelessness.
