Prince William Announces $4M Plan to Build Homes for the Unhoused on His Cornwall Estate

The Prince of Wales is spearheading a new drive to build homes for those in need on his Duchy of Cornwall estate

Prince William is stepping up his efforts to help the unhoused.

The Prince of Wales, 41, announced Sunday that he's spearheading a plan to build 24 new homes for people experiencing housing difficulties in Cornwall, England.

It fulfills a vow William made last year as he kicked off his Homewards project, which is his long-term campaign to tackle the issue. At the time he told U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times that he wanted to put social housing on his own Duchy of Cornwall land.

Teaming up with a local Cornish charity, St Petrocs, the new plan is to build homes in Nansledan, Newquay — in the far southwest of England — at a cost of nearly $4 million (£3 million), PEOPLE understands.

William and the Duchy are giving the land for the project and providing the design and development management expertise. Building work will kick off in September and the first homes are scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2025.

William inherited the $1 billion Duchy of Cornwall estate when he became Prince of Wales following the death of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth in September 2022. Historically, the Duchy provides an income for the heir to the British throne to support him and his family and pay for his public duties and staff costs. It provides an estimated $30 million (£24 million) income for William, Kate Middleton, 42, and their children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

Related: Prince William Arrives at 2024 BAFTAs as Kate Middleton Continues Recovery from Abdominal Surgery

“As one of his key priorities for the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince William asked us to address the homelessness challenge within Cornwall and other areas where the estate resides,” Ben Murphy, estate director at the Duchy of Cornwall, said in a statement seen by PEOPLE.

“The shortage of social rent and private rented properties are widely considered to be the main causes of increasing homelessness across the country, which is why we are proud to launch this project alongside ambitious plans to unlock more affordable and attainable homes across our estate.”

The Duchy and William hope the new development will provide proof of how collaboration can work across the public, private and voluntary sectors — a collaboration that is the key to his five-year Homewards program.

Professor Peter Mackie, member of the Homewards National Expert Panel, said in a statement, “Across the U.K., the lack of truly affordable homes is causing homelessness and results in hundreds of thousands of people living in poor quality temporary accommodation, with a lack of support and often putting their lives on hold for years."

Related: Prince William Continues Youth Homelessness Mission: 'He Wants to Hear People's Stories' (Exclusive)

“Building enough permanent affordable homes is a priority, and until we achieve this goal, we must rethink and redesign our temporary solutions. This project, a collaboration between the Duchy of Cornwall, St Petrocs and Homewards, hopes to demonstrate the power of delivering high quality temporary accommodation that really feels like home and gives people the dignity they deserve, alongside a clear pathway to permanent accommodation, creating a model that can be replicated and inspire innovation across the U.K.”

William has put helping the unhoused at the center of his public life for many years. He was inspired by his late mother, Princess Diana and visited The Passage shelter when he was 11 with his brother Prince Harry. Like his mom, he became a patron of the Centrepoint charity in London and even joined their sleep-out on the streets of the British capital in 2009.

On his 40^th birthday last year, William took part in an interview for The Big Issue, which supports unhoused people in the U.K. and sold copies on the streets of London underneath a baseball cap.

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The announcement came on the same day that William attended the 2024 BAFTAs in London without Kate as she continues her recovery from abdominal surgery.

“I’m a big fan of Christopher Nolan so I’ll be pleased if he wins ... I loved Oppenheimer," William said according to The Daily Telegraph.

The prince, who has been president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since 2010, added that he had yet to see Barbie, however.

“I haven’t watched Barbie yet," he reportedly admitted, "but I want to."

"With my wife, it’s been a bit [hand motion] — but hopefully we’ll catch up, I’ll make my list tonight," he reportedly added.

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